Leesburg High has a Guardian Angel
by 2shoes
Summary: Kara was just starting out as a high school freshman and Alex was a sophomore. The girls were struggling to understand how they felt about each other: did they love each other like sisters or did their feelings run deeper? Kara knew she was in love early on. Alex struggled with her feelings. (FF Kalex)(Audiobook available: Google this text: PLJpFDcCkw2sqgzpjjBOQlUcK6qgmpmjKL )
1. Kara Danvers is Ugly

Counselors and kind-hearted teachers had told Kara that high school would get easier. She just needed to trust other people. Open up. She just needed to put forth an effort, and if she needed any help, just come and talk to them. Kara suspected they were hired to pretend to care, and they probably gave the same empty advice to every student that felt like they didn't fit in. But Kara knew she wasn't like other misfits, if there was such a thing as a "normal" misfit. Kara knew the advice they were giving would not help her.

Every day, her new mom and Alex drilled into her that she had to be careful. Hidden powers in the world were looking for her. Outside of the Danvers household, Kara's whole life was a lie. Kara couldn't mention her former life on Krypton, of course, to ANYONE; as far as the world knew, she grew up in Midvale orphanage.

She was given names of caretakers, teachers and fellow orphans to memorize. She could confide with her new counselors about the fictitious life, but not about what was really bothering her.

"We can't help you unless you let us in," they often pushed her.

"You can't help me, anyway," she would reply coldly. After a few visits, Kara could tell her counselors were giving up on her.

So really, the school didn't have a chance to help her fit in. Nobody did. She could never be happy always pretending to be someone she was not. Knowing that made her need to cry often, but she couldn't even do that. Some days Kara felt like ending it all, taking her own life and all of the lies with it. Often she puzzled over how to do that. Ironically, Kara's whole world was dead, and Kara herself was unkillable.

So instead she acted like she was dead, haunting the hallways of the school like a zombie, never raising her hand, sitting alone at lunch, and only learning enough from her classes to avoid the embarrassment of having her mom called in to help fix the broken girl.

High school was so damned lonely.

Her step-sister Alex was a sophomore taking advanced placement classes, so Alex didn't share any classes with her, and Kara couldn't spend any time with her big sister until the bell rang at the end of the day.

Without Alex, Kara felt totally lost in this crowd of teenagers, where every mistake resulted in humiliation.

Mom and Alex showed her how to dress, but she didn't know if she was doing it right. Clothing was so much more complicated than on Krypton, where girls just slipped into a one piece gown and moccasin-like shoes. Bras, panties, belts, hats, stockings, scarves, sweaters, high heels, glasses and pants all looked very complicated and strange. To Kara, some Earth girls looked like clowns with all the makeup they wore.

Even when Kara wore exactly what she saw other girls wearing, she knew she wasn't fitting in. She didn't sway her hips like other girls. She didn't know how to bat her eyes. She didn't know how to be shy attractively, and she didn't know how to assert herself without seeming like a bitch.

For Kara, class work wasn't as hard to grasp as the social stuff, and sometimes Kara actually tried to learn. Earth education wasn't so different from the schools on Krypton, and Kara felt like she could learn math and science and philosophy easily.

Maybe theoretically Kara could learn. Maybe these classes should even be easy for her. But she didn't learn. She didn't see a future in learning. She didn't have any dreams for the future at all. She only dreamed of the past on Krypton, or of going back home with Alex, where she could be herself, and where people accepted her, unlike school where even when Kara really tried to connect with other students, they shied away from her. Or even insulted her for trying.

Kara was used to it. The wounds of repeated rejection were scabbing over, and if she didn't pay them any mind, they would eventually heal, only to be replaced by new wounds. But Kara could handle it now. She had learned how to accept her lot in life. At least that's how she had felt that morning.

Until everything changed.

It was lunch time. Kara felt starved, so she walked a bit too fast down the hallway towards the cafeteria. She wanted to get her food first so other students would not notice her chowing down before the rest of the kids sat down to eat. They would call her a pig, eating so much, even though she was underweight. They didn't understand that her Kryptonian metabolism needed twice the calories of an ordinary human.

But before she could get to the cafeteria, she felt like many eyes were following her. She paused to look around, and anxiety turned to a creeping feeling of dread. Her fellow students' eyes glowed with a fierce judgment burning holes into Kara with their stares, as if they had powers greater than Kara's. One boy who was holding a sheet of paper like an exhibit was pointing at her. Laughing.

Kara so wanted to flee like a startled cat, but instead she froze, afraid that whatever she might do, it would be the wrong thing. Looking around her, she finally noticed that copies of the sheet of paper the boy held were taped on the walls, over lockers and on windows every few steps down the hallway. She grabbed one.

The sheet had been printed from a website, namely the "StudentBody" blog, which was supposedly created by some pretty blonde girl in the school, but might just as well have been some acne covered geek. Nobody really knew for sure who the infamous blogger was, but her website was always the topic of conversation, because it posted tabloid-like news about Leesburg High School, it's faculty and it's students.

Under the blog's banner were 2 boxes. The top box was labeled "EyeCandy", with pretty colors and cute images of candy on the borders. Inside that box were 4 columns, labeled: Freshmen, Sophomores, Juniors and Seniors. In each column were 5 names. Kara glanced through each column. Being a freshman and a bit of a social misfit, Kara didn't recognize any of the names, except that her sister Alex was ranked 3rd on the list of Sophomores. Good for you, Alex, Kara thought. She didn't have much sense of what Earth people thought was beautiful, and she was happy that other people admired her sister, too.

Below the pretty box framing names of pretty girls was another box. This box was surrounded by little gargoyle and halloween icons amid patterns resembling decay. The label on the box was predictably "EyeSores" framing the names of ugly girls.

The very first name on the list was Kara Danvers.

Kara stared at the list for a moment in confusion. She felt like she was about to be involved in some kind of horrible accident. Time was slowing down. Her hands clenched into fists. She was mesmerized, and her mind was rapidly filling with questions:

What did it mean? Was this list saying she was the ugliest freshman, or the fifth ugliest? Did it matter? Who made the list? Who had seen the list? Was there another Kara Danvers in the school? Did someone in the school hate her? Was it true? Was she really the ugliest? What would happen next?

Kara dropped the sheet of paper and looked around. Several eyes were following her. She felt cornered. She wanted to run. She wanted to hide. She wanted to play dead. Could she survive socially? What reaction was on point?

Kara turned back towards the cafeteria and tried to walk at a casual pace. She walked awkwardly, like she had forgotten how. She was sure other students were watching, laughing at the way her ass moved out of sync with her lumbering body, groaning at how her shapeless legs stumbled like stilts when she walked, and whispering about how her boobs still haven't come in yet. They were staring at her like passengers in a car stared at wrecks alongside the road.

As Kara turned the corner into the cafeteria, one of the popular seniors blocked her path. The much taller girl stared at Kara with an expression between sympathy and disgust, and asked: "Why are you crying?"

Was she really crying? Kara worried. She touched her eyes and felt streams of tears and suddenly realized how upset she was. She pushed Miss Popular out of the way a bit too hard, and ran through the cafeteria a bit too fast. She ran out of the door leading outside, then darted across the school grounds, then flashed across the street to the woods on the other side, and finally slowed down when she was sure nobody could see her. She dropped to the ground in a fetal position. She wished she had never opened up her spaceship and entered this horrible world.

X X X

Kara didn't understand much about this strange society she was now trapped in. It had weird concepts of good and bad.

On Krypton, good simply meant people helping each other. Bad meant people being selfish. Morality was as simple as that.

In America, just about anything made a person bad: Wearing mismatching socks. Loving the wrong person. Failing a class. Showing off in class. Having acne. Being poor. Being "uncool," whatever that meant.

But the worst thing a person could be was ugly. It was the ultimate evil, the only unpardonable sin. She had only been in school for three months now, but that lesson was made very clear from almost the first day.

Her foster mom had always told Kara she was pretty, and Kara believed her. But maybe that was just what moms are supposed to say. Adults were nice but they always lied to make kids feel better. Adults told them fairy tales like Santa Claus, the Little Train That Could, and the biggest lie of them all: The Ugly Duckling. Adults then spouted values that they themselves did not believe in, like "You can be anything you want to be when you grow up," or "Beauty is only skin deep."

Kara's classmates were completely different. Kara knew they were mean, but they were also brutally honest about things that were wrong with each other. Why would her classmates lie? If they were saying that Kara was ugly, then she must have been ugly.

Kara never could tell when she looked in the mirror, but now that she knew, she could see it. Her hair was neither blonde nor brown but a filthy looking mix. Her 15 year old breasts barely created bumps in her blouse. She looked sullen when she was relaxed, and her face wrinkled on the odd occasion that she smiled. But the thing that made Kara feel worst about herself was her weight. She weighed a whopping 165 pounds, which according to the charts the school handed out made her borderline obese. According to Kara's mom, she was actually too thin. Her Kryptonian cells were much denser than normal humans, and her ideal weight should supposedly be 180 pounds, and her mom even said that was probably why her breasts weren't coming out. But even though it was obvious to everyone else besides Kara that she was not overweight, she felt like she was a pig, and she was sure other people thought so, too. After all, people saw her eat an entire large pizza all by herself and still feel hungry. She tried to force herself to only eat the standard lunch provided by the cafeteria, even though it left her feeling lightheaded. When she slipped into a bikini, she thought she could see fat leaking over the elastic. She didn't care that she could also see her ribs around the bikini top.

It must have been her weight, Kara decided. That is why people thought she was ugly. Well, she just wasn't going to eat anything else at school. She didn't care if she was tired all day. Nobody else would, either. If they didn't see her eating, they would know she was trying. She had to set a goal. She would get her weight down to 150 pounds before the end of the semester. The only thing that worried her was that maybe her mom was right, and her breasts wouldn't grow until she gained weight. Well, she could always fill up her bra with something else. That was just what she had to do.

Kara finally wiped away the last of her tears and began to walk slowly back to school. She could do this. She had just never known how ugly she was before, but if she worked at it, she could eventually get off that list. Or at least not be at the very bottom.

X X X

The cafeteria had mostly emptied out when Kara returned to school, meaning that it was time for her next class. First, she needed to take account of herself. She slipped into a restroom and took a quick look in the mirror. Her eyes were haunted by dark blotches that wiped away easily, but now her face was naked. She brushed away some dirt from her skirt and legs, and she combed her hair. Then she paused, sure that she was missing something. Did she smell OK? Was she wearing too much of that crappy perfume her mom gave her? She knew she needed to go to class now, but just the thought of entering that room, knowing that all of the eyes of the class would be following her twisted her stomach into knots.

She stood frozen at the mirror for what felt like a long time when the door opened and a familiar girl with bright red hair walked into the restroom with a blotch of mustard on her shirt. Kara squirmed, knowing that Red recognized her. The girl stood beside Kara, took a paper towel from the dispenser, wet it, then proceeded to clean the yellow stain, while occasionally stealing a glance at Kara. Each glance increased Kara's feelings of shame. Then, as the girl was about to leave, she shook her head and said, "I don't care what the list says, I think you are really pretty."

Again, Kara needed to wipe her eyes, as a reservoir of pain poured out of her soul in the form of tears. Kara didn't know if she believed Red's kind words, but despite Kara's lack of faith, those words exorcized her shame and fear. She wanted to hug Red. She wanted to know her real name. At the very least she wanted to thank her. But all she could do was smile gratefully through the tears.

Red smiled back and then left before Kara could say a word.

Shortly after, Kara walked to class. She was a few minutes late, but the teacher did not scold her, and while her classmates did stare at her as she made her way to her seat, she was forgotten as soon as the teacher began taking attendance. Even when Kara's name was called, no laughs or whispers fouled the air, so Kara could breathe freely.

X X X

Kara did not see Alex all day, until they boarded the bus to go home. As always, their bus was mostly empty, so the two sisters sat undisturbed near the back. They felt uncomfortable and unable to talk about the elephant sitting between them, when Kara finally said, "Congratulations, you know, about being so beautiful."

"Oh God!" Alex replied, rolling her eyes. "You don't believe that crap, do you? I mean, the idea that you are ugly is so crazy, and I wonder if they mixed the lists up and I should really be on the bottom."

Kara laughed and hugged her sister as tight as she dared, saying "I love you!"

Alex looked around before hugging Kara back, then whispered in her ear. "Me too, but wait until we get home."

Kara nodded her head, sat up straight and collected herself. With the public disgrace today, Kara had forgotten that they had much more private and explosive secrets to protect from the ever watchful eyes of Big Brother and now StudentBody.

During the whole trip home, Alex stared out the window at the cars moving the other direction. She was acting colder than usual, making Kara feel anxious at first. Then, Alex shifted her hips slightly and with the slight of hand of a magician, Alex's right hand pulled Kara's left hand down into the vacated space between them, disappearing in the folds of Kara's skirt. Kara simultaneously froze and melted as Alex's fingers straddled the back of her hand, and her thumb gently stroked Kara's inner palm. Kara tried to act bored for any potential spying eyes, but she couldn't hide the red glow on her face.


	2. Home Life

Eliza Danvers finished up at her job early that day and was just arriving at their home, when her two daughters' bus pulled up at the corner.

Alex bit her lip and complained, "Great." Alex jumped out of her seat and passed Kara like she wasn't there.

Kara's heart sank. Alex was the only person she felt she could talk to, and they weren't able to talk freely on the bus, so Kara really needed to spend some time with her sister at home. But that would never happen with their mom around.

Alex walked quickly by her mom, muttering "hi", but disappearing immediately into her bedroom, nearly slamming the door behind her. Kara knew Alex would stay there all night, working hard on her homework and her "projects", and avoiding Kara and her mom.

This had been going on since Alex's dad disappeared a year ago. Kara thought Alex blamed her mom for driving her dad away, which seemed crazy to Kara.

Eliza dismissed Alex's hostility as simple teenaged angst brought on by hormones and heartbreak. She said Alex would grow out of it like she had done herself.

Kara wondered if that was true. And if it was, how could adults forget the pain of such a loss? How could she expect her daughter to forget?

Alex had been closer to her dad that Kara had ever been to her own dad on Krypton. Kara had been jealous, until Jeremiah Danvers disappeared with no explanation. Alex had been devastated.

Better than anyone, Kara knew how Alex was feeling.

Alex had helped Kara deal with her own losses the year before, and Kara wanted to do the same for Alex.

Kara knocked on Alex's door.

"Go away," was the reply, "and don't you dare spy on me!"

Eliza called Kara back to the kitchen. "Don't worry about her, Kara," she said while pulling a pan from under the stove. "She needs to go through this her own way. Would you like to help me make dinner?"

Kara shuffled her feet indecisively. It seemed that every time Kara smiled at their mom, or acted like a good daughter, Alex wouldn't talk to Kara for hours. "I, uh, think I'd better go into my room, too."

"Oh, ok," Eliza sighed in disappointment, 'but please leave the door open a little. I hate feeling so shut out."

Kara smiled and nodded. She closed the door almost all the way, but it creaked open a few inches.

Kara sat down and turned on her old, slow computer. It had been Alex's computer, back when they shared this bedroom. A few months ago, Alex had moved into her Dad's study with his much fancier computer. Kara thought it was a bad idea, because every minute in that room reminded Alex of her dad.

Kara tapped her fingers on the keyboard, waiting through the ubiquitous "Windows XP" logo. Then she stared wistfully as her computer wallpaper monopolized the screen for a long moment: it was a blurry photo from the Hubble telescope with a beloved red dot nearly invisible in front of a nebula.

Finally, the computer finished booting up. She double-clicked the chat-room icon Alex had set up when the computer had been her own. The aging computer struggled to serve Kara. She bit her nails nervously, and every muscle in her body seemed prepared to flee from what she was about to see.

Leesburg High had set up chat-rooms on their own network, but everyone knew those rooms were only used for homework or team assignments. When kids wanted to be themselves, they went to unsanctioned sites. Kara visited the underground site every day since her first day of school. She never joined in the chat herself; she didn't know how to change her username from "AlexD". But she learned all she knew about being a high school student from that room, where teenaged life revealed itself unfiltered.

During the first week of the school year, dozens of students, mostly freshmen, chatted over each other in a barrage of messages, overwhelming Kara, but she quickly figured out how to filter out text voices, so she could follow individual conversations.

Kara was quickly hooked. There was so much drama on the site: Friends publicly morphing into enemies. Gossip about teachers. Gossip about students. Public shaming.

Until today, Kara was able to watch the drama with a detached curiosity, but it was all different today. She was on the hot seat.

As expected, all anyone chatted about today were "the lists". Some people wondered if StudentBody had run a poll, or took it upon herself to grade all of the girls. A few conversations debated the EyeCandy lists, and those debates were mostly civil. But by far the most popular and disturbing chats concerned the EyeSore lists, and those were the only conversations Kara was interested in today.

The first twenty minutes of debate was over the sophomore girls, as two girls were widely considered the ugliest girls out of the whole school, but the chats debated who most deserved that "honor" with the most cruel insults Kara could imagine. She was actually feeling sorry for the two girls, when quickly she was reminded why she was so nervous to begin with:

 _4:57pm_ **Watcher** : Who is the freshman freak?

 _4:59pm_ **Cookie** : The other Danvers. The weird one with the shitty pony tails. Homeschooled.

 _5:00pm_ **PeggySue** : She's a foster kid. They are always trouble

 _5:02pm_ **Cookie** : Have you seen her at lunch? OINK OINK! I saw her sneak into the bathroom today. BARF BARF!

 _5:03pm_ **LenaXOXO** : No, I saw her, she was just sad.

 _5:03pm_ **Cookie** : Shut up Lena!

 _5:05pm_ **SkinsFan** : dat bitch is no lost cause. she aint hard to look at, but dam she smells funny! Nice legs tho. I think studentbody is off here.

 _5:05pm_ **Watcher** : ur just a legs guy

 _5:06pm_ **SkinzFan** : I'm THE legs guy! and she wears short skirts sooo nice! wonder where the skin ends

 _5:08pm_ **PeggySue** : gross

 _5:08pm_ **Skinzfan** : rly? a guy can dream ;)

 _5:10pm_ **Cookie** : Low class girls want guys looking down, so low class guys can dream.

 _5:11pm_ **Domino** : jeez get off your high horse

 _5:13pm_ **Cookie** : Dommy, don't you know even your friends just tolerate you. Oh I forgot, no friends. You probably think the bottom of the list is a good place to start looking.

 _5:14pm_ **Domino** : At least shes not a stuck up bitch

 _5:15pm_ **Cookie** : Whatever. Come to think of it, even she is too good for you.

 _5:20pm_ **Watcher** : omg do you see what studentbody blogged like right now?

 _5:20pm_ **Cookie** : what?

 _5:20pm_ **SkinzFan** : ?

 _5:22pm_ **Watcher** : shes sayin the myblog site told her she had to take down the list cuz of company policies or some shit

 _5:23pm_ **SkinzFan** : figures. Fascists.

 _5:23pm_ **PeggySue** : come on ppl its just a beauty contest. kinda

 _5:24pm_ **Cookie** : It's only because it ranked the losers. Like everyone is so sensitive and might just step in front of a bus.

 _5:25pm_ **LenaXOXO** : beauty is in the eye of the beholder

 _5:26pm_ **Cookie** : Shut up Lena!

 _5:30pm_ **Cookie** : brb dinner time

 _5:32pm_ **PeggySue** : seeya

Kara closed the chat room. "OK, that wasn't so bad," she whispered to herself, though she felt dirty, like people had been analyzing her naked body.

Kara stared through the wall to the kitchen, hoping her dinner was ready, too, so she wouldn't have to think about what she had just read, but their mom was just putting a casserole into the oven, so she could not escape her thoughts for at least a half hour.

Kara looked at the mirror. Her eyes were welling up, but she snarled and shook her head. She wouldn't cry. She was going fix whatever was wrong. She tried to see what they saw as so ugly, but they didn't say enough. Was her face fine? They didn't talk about her face at all, only her hair. She knew her boobs were too small, but the critics didn't complain about those, either. One boy even complimented her legs, but she already knew that was her best feature, in part because Kryptonians had virtually no body hair.

Her biggest crime wasn't her physical appearance. It was the way she acted, her hair, the way she ate, and the way she smelled, and she could redeem herself in all of those areas.

She had already decided to lose weight and eat nothing at lunch. She knew if she ate even a slice of bread, she wouldn't be able to stop, so she just had to avoid food altogether, so she wouldn't look to them like a pig at a troth.

She could learn to act like the other girls. She knew her voice sounded foreign to Americans, but if she really tried, she knew she could get rid of the Kryptonian accent. She was a fast learner,

But she was conflicted about what to do about the way she smelled. In reality, Kryptonians have strong pheromones that Earth people find very attractive, but the scent would give her away to xenophobic threats, and their mom was sure there were many such threats, so she had concocted an odd smelling perfume to mask Kara's peculiar scent. Kara hadn't given the perfume a second thought before, but now she knew it was keeping her from having friends, so something needed to be done. She was always compliant and was giving up so much to live a normal life, she thought, did she really have give up having friends, too?

The easiest fix for Kara was changing her hair style. She had always thought her hair was too buoyant. One student told her that her hair was a dirty blonde, so she thought that meant her hair was ugly. But the students in the chatroom only complained about about the style, so Kara removed the ties, and let her hair fall down.

Kara stared in the mirror for a long time. Was she still ugly? Did she look better now? Why couldn't she tell?

Her mom called her for dinner, and it was a relief when Kara finally stopped looking at herself, fussing over every detail.

But dinner didn't go any better.

When the three Danvers sat down to eat, nobody commented about her hair, the list, or school. In fact, nobody said anything for several minutes. It was a typical dinner time these days. Finally their mom asked Alex if she had changed the cat litter today. Alex muttered something under her breath that Kara couldn't hear even with her amazing ears, but their mom knew exactly what Alex said. Kara tried to close her eyes and cover her ears as Alex yelled and ran up to her room, with their mom running after and banging on the closed door between them.

Dinner laid half-eaten on the table. Their mom came back to clean up the scraps, while Kara sought refuge in her room, and everyone felt very alone.

Five hours later, after their mom laid down to sleep, Alex lightly knocked on Kara's door. When Kara opened up, Alex couldn't meet her eyes. Her older sister simply said, "Sorry about all that."

Kara didn't want to make a big deal about it. "Want to watch TV?"

The two girls sat side-by-side on Kara's bed, flipping through channels, finally settling on Law And Order, SVU, something their mom would never approve of them watching. Alex seemed totally into the TV show, but Kara was more into Alex being with her, watching TV together.

During a commercial, Kara mentioned what people were saying about her in the chat room. She tried to keep her voice flat, as though it didn't matter at all.

Alex looked her sister sadly, shaking her head. "You shouldn't be listening to those assholes."

"It's okay," Kara said, wishing she had said nothing. Now that she said it outloud, she felt like she was being thin skinned and whiny.

Alex reached over to hug Kara, saying, "No, it's not okay."

Kara dissolved into Alex's embrace. It felt OK now to feel the feelings she kept trapped. She was about to cry. She wanted to cry. Right there, in her sister's arms. Then she felt the trap shutting again, as Alex began to pull away. Kara apologized for no reason at all. "I'm sor…"

Except that Alex wasn't pulling away at all. She was positioning for a kiss. She tasted Kara's tears, and swallowed her apology.

This kiss was a long time coming. They had shared light playful kisses, before the tragedy a year ago. Ever since then, Kara had felt they were growing apart. She had felt like she was losing another family, one day at a time. She had felt like she was losing her best friend.

Alex's kiss was like a baptism, washing away all sorts of sins. Kara felt light headed and euphoric. All of her heartache seemed worth the pain at that one moment, as Alex pushed her down on the bed and stared deeply into her eyes. Kara could see a hundred unsaid feelings behind those eyes, before they closed again as the two girls leaned into another kiss.

Then they heard a door open outside the room, and they froze.

"Mom's going into the bathroom," Kara whispered into Alex's ear.

They waited quietly, cheek to cheek, and Alex's body was pressing down on Kara's. Kara didn't want the moment to end. A minute later, they heard the bedroom door close again.

"She's back in bed," Kara finally said.

Alex very quietly climbed off her sister. She held her breath as the bed squeaked, and breathed again when she was safely on her feet.

"This was a mistake," Alex whispered firmly.

Kara nodded, deferring to her sister's judgement.

As Alex silently tiptoed back to her room, Kara rolled onto her pillows, which replaced her sister in Kara's embrace. The beautiful feelings she had felt a moment before were dying inside her. Was there nothing solid for her to hold on to? She felt like her whole life was a mistake.

X X X

Kara awoke the next morning at sunrise. She smiled as she looked out the window, the sun was just peeking over the horizon. It was a brilliant red, with shades of orange covering half of the sky.

Today would be a better day, she decided. She combed her hair long and and straight, but her hair refused to stay in place, so she let it be wild. She put a drop of the foul perfume on her cardigan, to satisfy her mom, but she would hide the sweater in her locker as soon as she was at school. She put on a medium length dotted skirt, short enough to show off her legs, but long enough that no one could call her slutty. She stuffed her bra with cotton balls. Then she spent a half hour trying to match her makeup to a pretty girl in a magazine.

"My, you are looking pretty today," her mom said, when Kara walked into the kitchen.

Kara didn't believe her, but she blushed anyway.

Breakfast was already placed on the table. French Toast.

Kara quickly ate every slice on her plate, and then started on the second helpings on the plate in the middle of the table. She knew this would be her only meal until tonight.

"I'm glad to see you eating more," her mom said. She was always trying to get Kara to gain weight.

Kara dropped her fork immediately, stood up and kissed her mom's cheek, saying, "Bye!"

"Oh, okay," her mom replied, puzzled by Kara's attitude. "Have a good day."

Alex was already waiting for the bus, eating a banana for breakfast, when Kara ran up beside her.

Alex choked on the banana when she saw that her younger sister suddenly had boobs. After a moment, she laughed and simply said, "Alright."

Once on the bus again, they sat in their usual seats. Kara slipped her hand over Alex's lap, and dragged Alex's hand into the space between them. Kara's fingers straddled the back of Alex's hand, while her thumb gently stroked Alex's inner palm.

Alex didn't mind.


	3. Fitting In

As Kara slinked across the cafeteria, picking up speed, clearly about to make her escape to the ladies room or a broom closet or anywhere that she didn't need to face the reality of school, a familiar voice called out, "Come sit with me."

Kara paused and slowly dared a look at the pretty blonde girl who was sitting alone with a fresh plate of food. The smell of mexican spices tickled Kara's nostrils, causing her to swoon, but the friendly words sparked an even greater hunger.

Kara hesitated, afraid that the invitation was laced with poison.

"Don't tell me you don't remember me," the blonde girl said playfully disappointed.

Kara squinted, trying to place the girl, when suddenly her face clicked perfectly into place. She was the kind soul from the restroom yesterday. Red.

"Oh, sorry!" Kara said, almost panicky in embarrassment, as she hurried to sit down before the girl withdrew her invitation.

"Oh, it's quite alright," she said, laughing. "In fact, I feel like a new person today. How do you like my new look?"

Kara took her in. Her bright green eyes, fresh face, and now blonde hair that almost glowed under the florescent light, surrounded by the delicious scent of food. Kara felt hypnotized as she replied reverently, "You look so beautiful."

The blonde girl's smile wavered, as she put her hand to her chest, and blood rushed to her face. "Oh, my, you … are really nice. I need more friends like you. My name is Lena, by the way."

Lena reached across the table. Kara hesitantly put her hand in Lena's, saying, "I'm Kara."

Lena nodded, knowing so much more than she would say. "Aren't you eating?" she asked, noting Kara's empty hands.

"I already ate," Kara lied, even while her mouth watered as Lena put a fork full of burrito and salsa to her lips.

Lena eyed her skeptically, then began eating tantalizingly slow, savoring every bite. "I'm famished!"

Kara wished she could eat like that, then nobody would make fun of her. Kara shifted in her seat; it made a noise too loud for someone her size, and Kara winced at the sound. Then her stomach growled, making her sad.

"Have a few, if you want," Lena offered, inching the plate of tortilla chips in Kara's direction.

"God, no!" Kara whispered too emphatically, as she leaned away from the corn kryptonite. "But thanks for offering."

Lena kept eating, while looking at Kara knowingly. Finally, she said, "You were in the chat room last night, weren't you?"

Kara stared at her, stunned. How did she know that? She nodded her head, and then looked away, embarrassed, ashamed.

Lena pushed the chips even closer. "It's OK, nobody is judging you here," she said with such reassuring eyes.

Kara stared at the food like it might attack. Then she gingerly put one chip into her mouth, savored it's salty taste, and followed it with another. After two, she put up her hand, indicating she'd had enough. She was afraid of starting an eating frenzy.

Lena smiled, then continued eating her burrito, while saying, "You can't let those meanies define you. They act like they are royalty in the school, in charge of everything, and like people really care what they think. But almost nobody goes in that chatroom anymore. I don't know why I do, even."

A voice startled Kara, approaching from behind, finishing Lena's thought: "Because the world is shit, and we have to keep watching the shitters or we'll step in it." A goth boy, wearing all black except for a silver earring, sat beside Lena. He was carrying a tray of food, but he reached into the plate in the middle of the table and stole a tortilla chip.

"Those are mine," Lena scolding, pulling the plate away, but leaving it in the middle of the table. "Only Kara can eat those."

The boy glanced up at Kara, looking more disappointed than seemed appropriate. "Oh, so it's charity for the ugly duckling."

Kara shriveled at the insult, and Lena's mouth opened in shock, and she threw the rest of the chips in his face.

He raised his hands defensively and laughed. "Just kidding!"

"Not funny!" Lena replied with a glare.

"You're OK," he told Kara as a minimum of an apology, and he reached out to shake her hand, while barely meeting her eyes. "I'm Eric."

Kara felt compelled to accept his apology, as she quickly shook his hand, but she didn't say anything.

Lena gestured towards Eric and whispered to Kara loud enough for Eric to hear: "That's why he doesn't have any friends."

"Among other reasons," he mumbled to himself, now withdrawing from the girls as he ate his food.

"StudentBody must be blind," Lena declared emphatically to undo the damage of Eric's joke. Her eyes locked on Kara's so she could see that Lena was sincere.

Eric nodded in agreement, or maybe just because he liked the taste of his hamburger.

Kara looked down at her hands, while the others ate their food.

After a few minutes of silence, Eric pushed his carton of milk across the table to her, so she wouldn't feel so out of place. Kara thanked him. She felt awkward and uncomfortable, but she had a seat at lunch where she was welcome, and she wasn't about to throw that away.

And she really liked Lena.

Kara looked at Lena as though she was looking at the sun, stealing a glance of her burnt orange sweater, then her silver heart earrings, then her ruby lips, before she finally gazed fully at her eyes. Lena was aware of Kara's attention, Kara felt sure, but Lena smiled and let Kara keep on staring. The more Kara looked at Lena, the more beautiful she was, but more than that, Kara admired her inner strength and freedom.

Kara sipped some or Eric's milk through a straw and didn't feel the wave of hunger she feared. In fact, the milk refreshed her. It wasn't the nourishment or the taste or the feeling on her lips, tongue and stomach that satisfied. It was the sense of communion, as they were having lunch together.

Just as Kara's confidence grew, and she even allowed herself to smile, she looked around the cafeteria to find that nobody was judging her today. She didn't hear her name mentioned in any chatter. She had found a clan, even if it was just the three of them.

Then Kara saw two eyes across the cafeteria fixed on her. Alex was sitting with several sophomore friends, but her attention was solely focused on her younger sister.

Alex was not pleased.

X X X

Kara tried to hold Alex's hand on the ride home, but Alex moved her hand away.

"Do you know who you were sitting with at lunch today?" Alex asked sharply.

Kara nodded, "Lena and Eric."

"Lena Thorul is a psycho," Alex declared too loudly in the half-full bus. She pointed at Kara like an adult scolding a child, then continued more quietly. "She totally freaked out in class last year, screaming that she was hearing voices, and was put into a mental hospital on Valentine's day, and she is now on her second year as a freshman. And Eric Dominello...well, he just totally gives me the creeps."

Kara was stunned. Alex's description of Lena seemed so completely wrong. She could only say, "but I like them. And they are the only people who want to be my friends. And you are always with your friends."

Alex seemed surprised, and her voice softened. "Well, I just want you to be aware of who you are getting involved with. Besides, mom said I had to look out for you."

Kara looked out the bus window at the cars driving the other direction. "Well, you don't have to worry about me. I'm pretty tough, you know."

"That's what I keep telling mom," Alex said more quietly, as if trying to reassure Kara, of what Kara didn't know.

The two girls continued the ride home, each facing different directions. As they approached their house, Alex's hand seemed to reach out to Kara's, but settled on Kara's knee for a moment. Her hand was shaking and Kara couldn't understand why.

Then the bus stopped.

Their mom was not home yet.

X X X

Alex bounced out of the bus with suddenly light feet as she scampered into the house. Kara followed behind, trying to figure her sister out. She was so different when their mother was not around.

Alex raided the fridge for OJ and a carrot as a mid-afternoon snack, and planted her butt on the sofa in the living room in front of the TV, and began channel surfing.

Kara knew that Alex expected her to sit on her left, and they would begin arguing what TV show to settle on.

Instead, Kara walked into her bedroom, tossed her funny-smelling sweater in a hamper, and stared blankly at her very limited wardrobe: Several blouses in solid colors. A t-shirt honoring "Panic At The Disco". Three short clean skirts. A pair of jeans. One pink cardigan sweater, and one blue turtleneck. That was it. It didn't seem like nearly enough for Kara to remake herself.

Kara slipped her arms into the salmon colored blouse, to remind herself how she looked in it. The fabric pulled tight in front, putting strain on the buttons.

When several minutes had passed, and Kara had still not joined Alex on the sofa, Alex walked up to Kara's open door. Alex knew she could not sneak up on her Kryptonian sister, but she just stood at the door and watched, until Kara finally said, "I'm putting on weight."

Alex somehow took this statement as an invitation to enter. "It's called growing," she said matter-of-factly. "That is the same blouse you wore all of last year. Besides, you can't just put it on over your school clothes, and fake boobs."

"I just don't want to look ugly anymore," Kara brooded, feeling ashamed. She judged herself guilty of fishing for compliments, but her soul hungered for much more than just that.

"Puh-lease!" Alex rolled her eyes. She was breathing deeply, as she stood in front of Kara, and began unbuttoning her sister's strained outer blouse. "Do you really believe that online critic more than your own eyes?" Kara's watched Alex's expression, as the older girl continued to unbutton the second blouse underneath. She pushed both shirts back, and Kara obligingly pulled both arms out of the clothes. "Do you believe what someone else says more than you believe me?" Alex pulled the cotton balls out from under Kara's bra one at a time, finally restoring Kara's real shape. "You are beautiful," Alex declared, as though it was beyond dispute. She pinched Kara's skin near her belly button, saying, "See, no fat here at all." The two girls' eyes locked, and Kara was on pins and needles over what Alex would say and do next. "So don't feel guilty," she finally said, "if you feel hungry."

Alex then gently stroked the spot that she had pinched, and whispered in a detached voice that didn't match the look in her eyes: "It's amazing such soft skin can be so strong. Is it is as sensitive as it is strong?"

Kara wasn't sure how to answer, but she didn't even try. It was like the question wasn't for her. Alex was driving, and Kara was only along for the ride.

Abruptly, Alex smiled excitedly and grabbed Kara's arm, saying "come here" and dragged Kara into her bedroom. She unclasped Kara's bra, freeing her tiny boobs, then helped Kara into one of Alex's own blue one piece dresses she had once worn to a dance last year, then she shoved Kara in front of a mirror with a pleased grin on her face, saying, "see? Your boobs look so cute in this dress, and you look awesome in blue!"

Kara smiled brightly as she looked in the mirror, feeling completely thrilled at how she looked, at how Alex was looking at her, and how good it felt wearing one of Alex's dresses.

Then the girls heard the sound of a car pulling into the driveway. Alex's grin fell and she now looked embarrassed, much like last night after they had kissed and their mom woke up.

"Come," Alex whispered urgently, and both girls rushed into the living room and sat on the sofa, as if they had been watching TV for an hour.

Mrs. Danvers walked into the front door, carrying a bag of groceries, saying, "Hi girls. How do you feel about a tofu stir-fry tonight?"

"Sure," the sisters replied in unison, both pretending to be completely immersed in Animal Planet."

Their mother eyed them skeptically, then asked Kara, "What are you wearing? Are you wearing a bra? You didn't dress like that to school, did you?"

Alex stormed into her room, as though the comments had been directed toward her. Kara, taking her cue, escaped into her own room, leaving their mother in the living room, holding a bag, wondering what had just happened.

Kara turned on her computer, and switched into her own clothes while she waited for the chat room to start up.

Finally, her computer entered the conversation:

5:33pm **LenaXOXO** : Don't be so mean. If I didn't know better, I'd think you were StudentBody.

5:34pm **SkinzFan** : yea, I dint like that skirt today, but yea she is actually pretty sweet

5:35pm **Cookie** : Shut up Lena, you aren't making Kara happen. You can put lipstick and perfume on a pig, but it's still a pig.

Kara crushed the computer mouse in her hand and tossed the remains across the room. She forced herself to breathe steadily.

Ten minutes ago, it seemed like the world was changing. Now it seemed like everything had stayed the same.


	4. The Way We Are

Their voices in the other room were barely louder than a whisper, but the urgency in the words and attitude was like an alarm, shaking Kara from her sleep. Kara rolled over in bed, trying to mind her own business, but in the silence it was like Alex and their mom were yelling right in her ear. Contrary to what their mom thought, Kara could not simply turn off her super hearing. She had to focus her senses on what interested her, and sometimes she could not help but hear things she didn't want to hear.

"You need to be setting a good example for Kara," Eliza scolded. "You are her big sister, and you need to act like it. You can't be constantly running to your room whenever you don't like what I have to say."

Silence.

Eliza continued, "Now, the school called yesterday and told me that _both_ of you girls are struggling in your classes. This is Kara's first year, so it's understandable that she might need extra help. But you have always had straight A's and B's. You spent so much time on your computer each day, I thought you were doing homework, but I guess using the computer was just your way of escaping. Now, what happened to your father has been hard on all of us, so it's completely understandable that you would be distracted and lack motivation."

Kara could hear Alex crying, when Eliza spoke of Jeremiah. Kara stole a peek through the wall into Alex's room and saw the shadow of a woman putting her arms around a frail looking girl. Their mother had not spoken of their father in almost a month, as though ignoring his absence would make it hurt less, but now just the mention brought Alex to tears, and seeing and hearing Alex crying made Kara cry, too.

"I know it's hard, Alex. I miss your father, too. We don't feel like a normal family without him. Maybe we all need to see Doctor Binder again for a few sessions. In the meantime, I want you to try harder in class, and please spend more time helping Kara with her studies at home."

"I will, mom," Alex promised, while wiping her tears.

Kara felt bad for Alex. She felt like somehow she got Alex into trouble, even if she didn't quite know how. She also felt guilty for eavesdropping, that maybe she could have tried harder to not intrude on their privacy.

But what she heard was not new. The family had been fractured since their Dad died. Kara had been broken for much longer. The Danvers family needed to rediscover itself. Kara needed to rediscover herself, too.

After waiting five minutes, Kara climbed out of bed. She put on a blouse similar to the one she had worn yesterday, which their mom had described as "pretty." She put on her smallest skirt, because some perv in the chatroom said he liked it, but more because some bitchy girl said she didn't. The stinky sweater aired out overnight, so the perfume smell was not so strong. Kara decided she'd let the smell fade day by day and see if anyone noticed.

Alex and her mom were both sitting at the kitchen table, eating eggs and toast, when Kara sat down to join them. Alex flashed Kara a look she couldn't quite understand. It contained a lot of emotion, but then Alex kept on eating her food.

Kara felt conflicted, too. Her stomach demanded food and lots of it, but the sad atmosphere in the room curbed her appetite. Also, Kara could not stop thinking about other people calling her a pig.

"Eat something!" their mom finally insisted. Then she teased, "Or the boys won't have any curves to look at."

Alex and Kara glanced at each other, as if to groan.

Kara put the toast in her mouth. It was delicious and disgusting at the same time, but she ate it in four quick bites. Then she felt ashamed.

Alex looked up at Kara while she buttered her toast and whispered: "It's okay."

X X X

Alex was in no mood to chat on the bus ride to school today, but she held Kara's hand the whole way there, even though her palms got sweaty, and she sat very close so that their thighs pressed against each other, and their arms intertwined. Talking was not necessary.

X X X

English Lit and American History sucked, Kara thought. Who cared about a book called "1984" when it was now 2006? Who cared about a Revolutionary War when the English have been our allies for generations now?

Kara knew it was a bad attitude to have, and she really did hunger for knowledge, just not the kind of knowledge they were peddling in school. The best thing about being homeschooled is that Eliza and Jeremiah had taught her things she felt she needed to know.

Kara was more eager to start her third class of the day, biology, because Lena was in the same class. Lena greeted her with a hug and a smile and insisted that she sit next to her and Eric, and Kara was so happy to oblige. She expected another boring lecture, but she would be happy regardless with her friend sitting with her.

The teacher began the class by instructing the students to open their textbooks to chapter 8, where Kara was greeted by competing images of a penis on one page, and a vagina on the other. Both images were diagrams shown in cross-section, with arrows pointing to the parts inside the body. There was nothing at all erotic about the drawings, but that didn't stop Kara's heart from accelerating.

Sexual education was very limited on Krypton until adulthood, and the Danvers were very quiet about sexual matters, even though Eliza was a biologist. Eliza was strictly a parent when it came to sex and her curious teenaged daughters, and Kara never dared to ask questions. All Kara knew about sex was through prime time television shows, giddy jokes Alex told her, crude remarks overheard in school, and brief moments of adventure Kara had while learning how to Google. The barrage of sexual content in American culture was quite an education in itself, so much so that now Kara felt like she knew everything she needed to know already. Teachers rehashing the ins and outs of sex in school seemed pointless.

But that didn't stop her heart from racing. She shifted in her seat and leaned forward, giving her full attention. There was something disturbing and exciting about learning about sex in school

Lena smiled with amusement, as she watched Kara, and she whispered, "Calm down, young one."

Kara sat back and wondered if she was blushing.

Her teacher was a middle aged man dressed in a proper suit and tie, and he spoke about penises and vaginas like he might talk about components of a computer.

To Kara's surprise, she actually knew very little about the biology of sex beyond the most rudimentary facts, and despite a few curious visits to pornographic sites where she got to see a variety of body parts and sexual positions in detail, there was so much she hadn't noticed before, and so much more science behind it all than she had ever considered.

Lena was apparently more amused by Kara than the class itself. She whispered jokes so quietly that Kara wondered if a normal girl would have heard them, and some of the jokes were so crude that Kara felt ready to explode in laughter.

As the class was nearing an end, the teacher's tone changed, when he described the evolution of sexual behavior and some vague controversy. When the teacher mentioned something about homosexuality, Kara heard a few murmurs bubbling up in the classroom, so she listened more closely.

"Homosexuality is a biological dead end, and is therefor against fundamental principles of evolution," the teacher declared confidently, but with more vigor than he had talked about body parts and hormones.

One student, who had been holding his tongue for a while, finally spoke up, saying, "But didn't scientists find some kind of gay gene or something?"

"There is no gay gene," the professor replied slowly and forcefully. "And if there were, it would surely be weeded out by natural selection in time. No, that mysterious gene is a desperate attempt to legitimize sexual behavior through pseudo-science. The truth is that homosexuality leads to de-evolution, not improvement of the species."

Lena was waving her hand vigorously, wanting to open the discussion up to a debate. The teacher held his hand out in a stop gesture, then said, "but of course it is every person's right to have sex with whoever they want, regardless of how unnatural it may be."

Several students shook their heads in disgust, while the teacher hoped to drop the subject, having made his point, but Lena would not be discouraged or silenced. She stood, and, when the teacher seemed intent on ignoring her, she addressed the whole class with an air of authority:

"People have sex to reproduce like only 1% of the time. There are dozens of other social and biological benefits to having sex that have nothing to do with reproduction. Sure if everyone was gay 100% of the time, yeah we'd be in trouble, but we'd also be in trouble if straights banged each other all the time without condoms. The most important thing sex does is let people express love for each other. Love has survival value, and it's unnatural to stop people from loving each other simply because of who they choose to love."

A few students clapped when Lena sat back down. The teacher looked hot around the collar, but he collected himself and said, "Looks like you've polished up your act since last year, Miss Thorul," reminding everyone that Lena was held back a grade, "but now let's move on to biology rather than make this a political forum."

Kara gaped at Lena in awe, as the power of her words seemed stronger than all of the abilities Kara possessed. Lena smiled, taking the attention as a compliment.

Soon after, when the class was ending, the teacher handed out sheets of paper, saying: "Read the rest of the chapter and fill out these questions for tomorrow. Now enjoy your lunch."

The room was suddenly full of conversation, and the assortment of teenagers stood from their seats at once. Kara looked down and shuffled her feet, unsure if Lena still wanted her around now that class was over.

"Aren't you coming?" Lena reassured, as she and Eric headed for the door.

Kara hurried beside them, and they headed towards their lockers. Lena immediately leaped into conversation like they had been best friends all their lives, while Eric tagged silently along.

"Can you believe that guy?" Lena asked as if shocked. "I don't know if he's a religious freak or a mad scientist who just doesn't give a shit about people. He's so narrow minded, he shouldn't be allowed to teach anyone about sex or anything else. "

"Amen," said Eric, earning him a quick elbow from Lena in the chest. They both smiled at a private joke.

"I like what you said about how people should be able to love who we want to love," Kara said awkwardly. "I thought people weren't allowed to do that."

Eric looked at Kara like she had three eyes, then he glanced at Lena, barking, "Damn home schooling!"

Lena rolled her eyes as if Eric was the odd one. She put an arm around Kara's shoulders, saying, "They might as well make breathing illegal. It's not a choice. And if it wasn't for our damned governor, you and I could get married when we graduate!"

Lena swooped Kara into a waltz, like they were two brides on wedding night. Kara stumbled over her own feet, as she tried to keep up.

In the midst of the dance, Kara asked Lena innocently, "Are you gay?"

Lena smiled, unflustered and unoffended, and danced on, saying, "I hate labels. I love who I love. I'm just like you."

Kara laughed at how absurd that sounded. "I wish I could tell you who I really am," she confessed.

"Someday," Lena prophesied, "you will tell everyone proudly."

Kara smiled at the thought. It seemed so impossible.

Just then Lena was pulled forcibly from Kara's embrace, and Kara wasn't sure which made her dizzier, the spinning or the sight before her eyes.

One of the boys from the biology class had apparently followed the three friends to their lockers. Donnie Barksdale was tall and athletic and had a mean glare in his eyes.

"I told you to stop spewing that shit in class!" He spat in Lena's face, as she pressed both of Lena's shoulders against the lockers. "Now you parade around with your baby dyke friend."

Despite how strong Lena seemed most of the time, she shrank under the confrontation. This was not something she was strong at.

Kara felt paralyzed, too, not from fear of the boy but instead fear of being herself. It had been drilled into her to not bring attention to herself. So she watched as the bully slammed his hand against the locker behind Lena's head, making Lena cower and fear for her safety.

The air felt so wrong. The air felt so furious.

It was then that Eric pounced on the bully, not caring that the bully was twice Eric's size. Eric staggered from a punch to his face, sending him stumbling backwards, but by then several outsiders pulled the two apart.

While Kara still did nothing.

Well, at least Kara found the courage to help her friend up, as Lena had fallen on her butt. Lena wiped a few tears from her eyes, and somehow managed to smile again at Kara.

"I'm so sorry!" Kara said with frustration in her voice, feeling ashamed to have done nothing.

"Oh, it's not your fault," she said reassuringly. "It's just me and my big mouth, just asking for trouble."

Eric joined them while rubbing his soon to be swollen jaw. "Are you okay," he asked Lena with a mouth that wasn't working quite right.

Lena touched his arm, "I'm fine. How are YOU?"

"Feeling kind of stupid," he shrugged.

Lena laughed sadly, "That's my hero."

Several teachers came and dragged Lena, Eric and the bully away for questioning. Kara wished she could go with them. Didn't they need a witness? Actually there were several witnesses. Kara wished she could go to help her friends. Besides, meeting at the principal's office with her friends and answering tough questions seemed like heaven compared to eating alone.

X X X

Without her friends around, Kara lacked the strength to keep to her diet. She piled a triple portion of pasta on her plate and sat alone in a corner of the cafeteria, eating at almost super-human speed. She didn't look up. She didn't want to see who was watching her. When she was done eating, she rested her head on the table, pretending to sleep as she waited for lunch to end, feeling totally alone and like a freak. As usual.

With only a few minutes left, she heard footsteps approaching her table. She looked up, expecting to see Lena, but it was Alex who sat down on the chair opposite her.

"I was just in the lab when someone told me what happened," Alex said as she wrapped her fingers around Kara's hands.

"I don't even know what happened," Kara said angrily. "People are so mean here. Lena didn't even do anything wrong."

Alex looked away uncomfortably. "I'm sorry what I said about Lena yesterday. We had a fight last year, so I guess I was a little angry when you said you were friends. Really, it's OK," Alex said gently, then hurried to add: "But don't tell mom."

Kara nodded quickly, having no idea what she shouldn't tell their mom.

"What about Eric?" Kara asked.

"He still gives me the creeps," Alex said.

Both girls laughed, even though Kara doubted that Alex was kidding.

Alex's stomach growled loud enough for ordinary ears to hear, and Alex confessed flatly. "Yeah, I'm kind of hungry, but I can see you already ate."

"Desert!" Kara suggested enthusiastically, and the girls rushed to the kitchen before lunch break ended.

X X X

The girls were a little disappointed that their favorite seat was taken on the bus trip home, so they had to sit way up front, right behind the driver. Not very private.

They waited not so patiently for their seat to open up, but after the bus stopped a few times, and nobody was getting off, Alex couldn't take the silence and longer: "So do you have any homework today?"

Kara remembered Alex's conversation with their mom that morning, and she didn't want to bother her sister with her boring freshman

homework. "It's nothing, just a little easy math and some stupid biology."

Alex's eyes lit up, since she wanted to be a bio-engineer like their mom. "Oh, that should be fun! What did they give you to do?"

Kara stalled, and Alex raised her hands as if the say "well?" Kara then sighed, reached into her book bag, and pulled out the two sheets of paper.

Alex snatched them from Kara's hands and read a few lines and simply said, "Oh," as she looked it over:

 _Put a check beside the secondary sexual characteristics for each gender._

 _Male_

 _Angular features (square jaw, triangular mid region)_  
 _Heavier musculature_  
 _Scrotum_  
 _Testes_  
 _More pronounced and coarse body hair_  
 _Muscular pectorals (chest)_  
 _Narrow hips_  
 _Less fat tissue overall_  
 _Deeper voice_

 _Female_

 _Clitoral crura_  
 _Higher levels of estrogen_  
 _Higher voice_  
 _More pronounced breasts with more fatty tissue_  
 _More fat tissue overall_  
 _Labia_  
 _Less pronounced body hair in the public area, and hair all over is typically finer_  
 _Lighter musculature_  
 _Ovaries_  
 _Rounded features in the face, and an hourglass mid-region_

 _At least one secondary sexual characteristic is missing in each of the lists above. Supply the missing characteristics below:_

 _MALE:__ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

 _FEMALE:__ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

 ** _Extra Credit_** _: write an essay on how these secondary characters are exaggerated in media_

Alex glanced around to see if anyone else was looking, then she put the homework back in Kara's book bag. "We'll work on this when we get home," she said quietly.

"Okay," Kara replied nervously. "Because I'm not sure I have all of those things on the list."

"Of course you don't!" Alex laughed, then whispered, "I know you don't have a dick!"

Kara bumped Alex. "No! You know what I mean! The female things."

Alex then realized that Kara was serious. She smiled and comforted, "Don't worry, we'll find your missing parts when we get home."

X X X

Around the time the bus was turning onto their street, a chirping sound called from Alex's pocket. She pulled out a small flip-phone Eliza gave her when she upgraded to a Blackberry. Every minute cost money, so she could only use the phone in emergencies. She opened the phone and read the three word message: "ILL BE LATE"

A big smile covered her face. When her mom texted that, it always meant she would be VERY late.

The girls barely waited for the bus doors to open before they jumped out and laid claim to the house for the next several hours.

They flopped onto the sofa, which was big enough for three people, but Kara squeezed up against Alex like she was a pillow, pressing against her heart, while they hunted down entertainment on TV. Jeopardy for 3 questions. Animal planet for 5 awe's. Then a music video where the girls leaned forward, trying to decide if Britney Spears was naked. No, just just wearing some sparkling flesh colored thing. Or was it sheer?

The girls looked at each other when the video ended. "Where's that homework," Alex said suddenly.

Kara bounced off the sofa effortlessly and was back like the Flash in an instant, presenting the assignment to Alex.

They went over the Male list first. Kara had some trouble deciding between primary and secondary features, so Alex explained carefully, while she made playful jokes about how this or that characteristic turned her on. She wasn't very convincing. She wasn't trying very hard.

They both had trouble identifying the missing piece, until they remembered that their dad had a big adam's apple.

Then for the female body parts, and Alex teasingly asked Kara which part she thought she was missing.

When Kara hesitated, Alex pinched one of Kara's breasts playfully and said, "Because your boobs are small, but they are girl boobs. Mom is right, you just need to eat a little more, and you'll be a B-cup in no time."

Kara shook her head. Her boobs weren't what worried her. She tried to pronounce the words as she read from the page: clitoral crura

"Oh, of course you…" Alex began while shaking her head, then hesitated. Alex often forgot how unique a girl Kara really was. "Do you even know what a clitoris is? Do you know where it should be?"

Kara nodded. "I saw a drawing. I don't have anything that looks like the drawing."

"Well, it is pretty small, like it's hiding," Alex stammered, "and it's really sensitive."

"Everything is really sensitive down there," Kara worried. "And I don't really have curves, either."

Alex posed and said, "me neither". When Kara appeared unconvinced, Alex stripped to her underwear and posed again. "See?"

Kara objected, "No! You are much curvier than me." Then she also stripped down to demonstrate. Kara had a girl's figure, but the bones of her hips and her ribs were clearly visible. "See? I look wrong."

Alex looked sad. She touched Kara's ribs and hips with her fingers. "I hate to admit it but mom was right, you really need to eat more."

Kara stared at the ground, feeling miserable, and Alex realized Kara needed to be reminded how beautiful and feminine she was.

"You've got less body hair than me," Alex offered, as she brushed the smooth skin on Kara's legs with her fingers. Kara squirmed because it tickled. "Which is a good thing, because no earth razors are up to the challenge."

"And your muscles are more girly than mine," Alex added, as she showed off her biceps, then pinched Kara's arms. "You are such a weakling!"

Kara giggled, then she tackled Alex onto the sofa, but pretended to let Alex get the upper hand, the way big sisters are supposed to do.

Alex rolled on top of Kara, then paused. They were face to face, breath to breath, and skin to skin almost from chest to toes. The cotton balls were falling out of Kara's bra, and her legs were straddling Alex's hips.

Kara waited for her sister's kiss, and hoped Alex wouldn't call it a mistake this time. Was kissing her sister really so bad? Maybe she just didn't know what it meant to be a sister. Families on Krypton were only allowed one child, so the idea of a sister or brother was new to her. But it was a wonderful thing. Her best friend was always there. Her sister would always be her ally. And Kara could tell her sister everything. So why was this a mistake?

Was it because Kara was an alien? A freak, like the kids on the chat room said?

Kara's growing shame was clearly visible to Alex.

To Kara's disappointment, Alex backed off, but she did not show regret this time. She stood above Kara and gazed at her affectionately, then walked to the front door and locked it.

Kara sat up, as Alex walked into her bedroom, while directing Kara to follow with her index finger.

"I guess you need to see to believe," Alex said, as she lowered her panties. She sat on the bed, spread her legs and urged Kara closer, then opened up with her fingers, saying, "See, here it is."

Kara approached, though she could see clearly from across the room.

"Do you have one of these?" Alex asked.

"I think so," Kara replied, feeling relieved and a little excited. She lowered her own panties and sat beside Alex, mirroring her sister.

Alex leaned in closely to see. She squinted, shook her head, looking confused, and when the shadow of worry crossed Kara's brow, Alex laughed. "Yeah, you're a girl alright."

Kara gave her a playfully punitive shove, then both girls stood and put their panties back on.

Their eyes met. They both knew that wasn't just a biology lesson that happened. That was an act of trust. An act of love.

Their eyes agreed.

Alex pulled Kara in close. Kara framed Alex's face with her hands, while Alex contemptuously pulled the cotton balls from Kara's bra. "There," she said simply, and finally pushed Kara up against the wall and kissed her long and hard, interlocking lips and tongues.

Finally, she needed to come up for air, and she saw her sister's eyes overflowing with tears with a big hot smile on her face, so she dove right back.

X X X

Kara was lying on top of Alex on the sofa, when a sound outside woke her up. Alex was wearing cozy black pajamas, and Kara was only wearing a silky bathrobe that reminded her of clothes on Krypton. The TV was playing South Park, with Cartman blaming the Jews for something or other.

Kara clicked the TV off in an instant, then carried her sleeping sister into her bedroom before the lock clicked open on the front door.

As their mom walked through the front door, Kara emerged from her own bedroom. Kara raised her arms high above her head, stretching and yawning, and feeling a lot wiser and more confident than … ever.

Eliza was weary from a long day of work, but she could not help but notice that something was different. The house was silent, and Kara was in her bathrobe. Alex was nowhere in sight at 10 PM. That in itself was noteworthy.

"Is Alex asleep?" Eliza asked.

Kara nodded. "Yeah, she really had a workout."

Eliza's voice got serious. "Did she help you with your homework."

Kara's smile grew as she thought about it. Finally she just said, "Yeah."


	5. The Thing About Lena

Eliza was pleasantly surprised the next morning, when Alex greeted her with a big smile, and Kara ate all of her food and then some. At the breakfast table, Kara and Alex flashed childish smiles at each other. Alex tossed a hashbrown at Kara, while Kara was stuffing her mouth with scrambled eggs, and Kara somehow managed to catch the greasy potato nugget in her already full mouth. Alex rewarded Kara with three claps for her achievement.

Eliza watched on, smiling, and said, "it's so good to see you girls happy and acting like normal sisters, again."

Bits of egg and potato sprayed everywhere from Kara's Kryptonian cough, while Alex cracked up in laughter.

"Sorry mom," Kara said, as she cleaned up in a blur.

"That's okay," Eliza said, confused about what had just happened.

Kara heard the bus approaching, and the girls scampered out the door with a quick, "bye mom!"

X X X

The Danvers house was the first stop for the bus every morning, so they always had first pick of seats. Usually they would go to the very back, but the rear windows made those seats less than ideal. They picked the seats one row forward, and crouched down as low as they could get. They kissed awkwardly and passionately, with the thrill of living dangerously.

Only about two minutes later, the bus made it's next stop, so the girls straightened themselves out, hiding all signs of intimacy, except for the glows on their faces.

The back of the bus was the most desireable section, so in no time Kara and Alex were surrounded by fellow students, yet hidden in plain view, Earth and Krypton were making out like yin and yang. All of their senses were focused on the tight space between them. Again, the girls' hands embraced in the folds of Kara's skirt, fingers stroking palms, then hesitating, then intertwining. The gentle friction of Kara's bare knee against Alex's jeans felt as scandalous as a kiss. Blonde hair blended with brunette, as lips met ears in turns, whispering jokes and promises and sweet nothings that meant everything.

Suddenly, life made sense, and for the first time, Kara felt like she belonged.

When they arrived at the school, the Danvers girls were the last students off of the bus, yet they trotted out the door and onto the school grounds like it was the beginning of an adventure.

Then they stopped abruptly as soon as their feet touched pavement, as if stepping into another world.

About twenty yards away, at the edge of the school grounds, the bully Donnie from yesterday confronted Eric and Lena again. Kara had heard that Donnie was suspended, so clearly he came back to school to finish what he had started yesterday, then escape. He brought a friend this time, and both boys were wearing identical black and red caps, like it was a gang symbol. Donnie was carrying a knife, while the other boy brandished a black segment of pipe.

Eric and Lena were trying to back away. The stranger maneuvered to cut off their escape, while Donnie laughed wickedly and moved in for the kill.

That was when Donnie's cap suddenly caught on fire. He stumbled backwards in confusion, threw off the cap, and patted down his smoking hair.

The other boy seemed infuriated rather than confused. He rushed forward to attack, when his cap also caught on fire.

In the confusion, Eric and Lena slipped away and hurried into the school.

Kara watched as a small crowd cautiously approached the two human torches. She was barely fazed when Alex removed the eyeglasses that were melting onto her face.

"Jeez, Kara! That was reckless,"" she whispered urgently.

Kara flashed Alex a sour look, and said simply, "They were trying to kill my friends."

"Sorry," Alex backtracked, when she saw that Kara was shaking. "I didn't mean to be mean. I'm glad you helped them, and it doesn't seem like anyone noticed where the fire came from. I couldn't even tell, until I saw the glasses melting. You just need to be careful."

Kara heart and mind were attacking each other. She had never deliberately hurt anyone before. She had never saved anyone before. She hadn't even thought before she acted. Sometimes she forgot how powerful she really was, because she had always tried to forget. It was scary. Kara covered her face with her hand, and tears started to flow when she felt that her face was naked. "Dad's glasses…"

Alex choked up, as she realized what Kara meant. Her dad had given Kara those glasses to help her control her super-sensitive vision. It was the last thing he had given to anyone. She put an arm around Kara. "It's ok. Maybe we can fix them. The frames don't look … too bad."

X X X

"You look really pretty without glasses," Lena said, upon meeting Kara in Biology class, then hurried to add unconvincingly, "but I think you look really pretty either way."

"Thank you," Kara said, gratefully. She was still sad about losing the glasses, but that was a small price to pay for Lena and Eric's well being. And if glasses contributed to her ugliness factor, then maybe she would never wear glasses again.

Lena did not look like someone who had been afraid for her life just a couple of hours earlier. She was able to brush it off and put it behind her.

Kara admired that ability, and doubted she could ever do the same. Maybe she could get over almost dying. She had brushed up against death often enough already to be comfortable with her own mortality. But she had much more difficulty dealing with hate. She always wanted to think the best of people, and it really messed her up the way people do evil to each other. Kara could tell that Lena was used to it, and Lena would not let hate affect how she lived her life. That's what Kara admired.

The homophobic biology teacher toned his opinions down today, thank Rao. He went over the homework assignment. Kara and Alex only scored a 70%, which was shockingly bad for Alex, since she really knew this stuff. Apparently, Alex was so distracted, she started considering everything a primary sexual characteristic, at least on the girl's section.

Kara giggled when the teacher talked about a theory that a girls' boobs have evolved to resemble their butts for sexual attraction. Kara mentally compared Alex's boobs to her butt, and her face turned bright red.

Lena of course did not miss the emotional display. She joked, "Be careful, I think you are about to spontaneously combust."

Kara felt like it. It took all of her effort to stop laughing, but even with that, the teacher paused and looked at her. She prayed that he didn't ask her if she was alright. Her prayer was answered.

Lena didn't let up on the jokes for the rest of the class, but Kara kept it under control.

"You are so different today. What happened to you last night?" Lena asked, once the teacher excused the students, and the classroom started emptying out.

Eric somehow knew Lena meant this to be a private conversation between the two girls, so he said quite reasonably, "I'll scout the halls for danger. See you at lunch."

Once Eric was out of sight, and the girls were alone in the classroom, Lena bounced eagerly and demanded. "Well?!"

"I don't kiss and tell," Kara bit her lip and looked off into the distance.

"Oh, so there is something to tell," Lena teased, as though Kara had spilled all of her beans.

Kara immediately changed the topic. "I want you to meet my sister. Can she sit with us for lunch?"

Lena's smile immediately fell to a frown. "I don't think that's a good idea."

"Oh," Kara replied, surprised. She didn't know what to say, as the hurt settled in.

Lena could see that hurt, and she hurried to explain without explaining anything: "I really want to meet your sister, but I can't."

Kara stared at Lena, not wanting to pressure her, but also feeling like they were getting really close, and Kara was getting REALLY close to Alex, and really wanting for all of her friends to be friends with each other, so she finally threw up her hands and asked, "Why?"

"You won't believe me," Lena said, now looking down sadly.

Kara knew that feeling all too well. "I might," she reassured.

Lena sighed, quickly looked for spies, then said quietly. "I can read people's minds. Not everyone's. I can't read your mind, and I can't read Eric's. I can only sense what you are feeling. I can feel when you are happy or sad. But with most people I can actually read their minds when I am near them. It's like a big invasion of privacy. Friends need some privacy."

Kara nodded, and said optimistically, "Well, maybe you can't read Alex's mind, either. Maybe she's just like me and Eric."

Lena's face flashed shock that Kara immediately accepted her claim to be a telepath. And then she looked relieved and said with a little hope: "Maybe."

"I'll go get her, and we'll meet you and Eric at lunch," Kara said excitedly, as she hurried to meet Alex, who was probably still at the lab finishing an experiment. Alex always stayed late in the lab.

X X X

Alex was closing up a petri dish containing what looked like shit when Kara arrived.

Kara was excited, as she told Alex about what Lena had revealed, adding that it was exciting to meet someone else who had special powers.

Alex eyed Kara like she was a dumb blonde, and she stated the obvious. "If she can read minds, what's to keep her from learning who you really are."

"Oh," Kara said, disappointed. That idea hadn't occurred to her. Maybe it didn't occur to her because she trusted Lena and wouldn't mind if Lena knew her secret. Maybe she thought that fate brought the two special girls together. But ever since Jeremiah died, Alex and Eliza have been keeping Kara's birthplace as secret as the U.S. Nuclear launch codes.

Alex laughed and reassured, "but we don't have anything to worry about. Scientists have proven telepathy isn't real. Remember what I told you about Lena? She has psychological problems. She hears voices. And I guess she thinks those voices are from minds she reads."

"But…" Kara was about to object. What did scientists think about humans flying before Superman showed up?

Alex cut her off: "I feel sorry for her. Mom thinks she's bad news, but you believe she has a good heart, and you have a good sense for that, so I believe it, too. So let's go meet her... I mean meet them. There's a guy, too, right?"

"Yeah, Eric," Kara said, then paused, deciding how to describe him. "But he's harmless."

X X X

Lena and Eric had already eaten half of the food on their plate when the Danvers girls arrived at the cafeteria, so Alex and Kara each grabbed an apple and hurried over before they finished.

Kara nearly leaped onto the seat beside Lena, without considering to introduce her sister. Alex smiled at Eric as she sat down beside him, and she politely introduced herself, "I don't know if you remember me from last year, but I'm Alex, Kara's sister."

Lena shook her hand nervously, and said with surprise but no judgement: "You two are much closer than I had thought."

Alex's and Kara's eyes locked for a moment. Maybe the truth was written all over their faces. Or maybe…

Alex shrugged, saying, "well, yeah, Kara was adopted, but it's like we've been best friends forever."

Lena eyed Alex suspiciously. She wasn't buying that evasion for a second.

Then she looked at Kara and whispered, "Zor-El?"

Kara smiled, while alarm grew on Alex's face.

Then Lena looked back at Alex with a jerk of her head. "It was you," she said with surprise and sadness in her eyes. Then she tried to turn away, looking at neither girl, and said, "This was a mistake."

"Yes," Alex agreed, nearly jumping out of her seat. She covered her face as she ran out of the cafeteria.

"Alex?" Kara called after her as she stood up.

"You should go after her," Lena suggested with a light touch on Kara's arm.

Kara didn't need to be told twice, as she followed after Alex. She kept her senses enough to run at a human-like speed, but still caught up with Alex in just a few seconds, when Alex ran back into the lab.

Alex's eyes were filled with tears. Kara cried all of the time, but the only time Kara ever saw Alex cry was over the death of her dad, so Kara knew this was a big deal.

"I didn't tell Lena about my Kryptonian name," Kara said.

Alex nodded. "I know."

"What happened?" Kara asked, confused.

Suddenly, Alex jumped forward to kiss Kara on her lips, then her cheeks, then eyes, then hugged her as tight as she could.

Kara hugged her back, but asked, "Alex?"

"I was wrong," Alex replied. Then, after a moment, she added, "About a lot of things."

Kara wanted to know what things, but she didn't want to upset Alex any further. So she pulled an apple out of her pocket.

Alex wiped her tears and asked with teasing disapproval, "You took the apple?"

Kara smiled and said, "Well, you know me, always thinking of food."

"That's an awfully small lunch for you," Alex teased.

Kara took a bite, then handed the apple to Alex. "For us."

Alex smiled and took a bite over Kara's bite.

The two girls huddled in a corner of the lab, beside the bunsen burners, beakers and funnels, eating the single apple between kisses, and they finished their lunch satisfied.


	6. TGIF

By the end of the school day, Kara could barely keep her eyes open or keep her head from dropping on her desk. Maybe she felt sleepy because she had eaten only a half-apple for lunch. Or maybe she was sleepy because her history teacher could send a crying baby to the land of Nod with only the power of his voice. But when the final bell rang, signalling the beginning of the weekend, Kara jumped up from her seat like the rest of the class with a big smile to welcome the arrival of the weekend.

The students rushed through the open doors, and once outside, the bright sun bathed Kara's skin, flooding her with beautiful power. Not a cloud in sight, or if there was one, she chose not to see it. She wanted to shed her silly Earth clothes and dance naked under the sun, the way she had often done on Krypton. She did a little twirl and then leaped a bit too high, but nobody was watching her.

Except for Alex, who was leaning against the bus, acting cool, as Kara approached.

"You're late," Alex pretend complained.

Kara smiled at her wickedly and walked right past into the bus.

"Hey," Alex complained a little more seriously, "wait up!"

Kara found a seat near the back of the bus and sat down in a quick spin motion, saying, "I want the window seat."

Alex tried to appear casual and dignified when she sat down beside Kara. She said nothing for a few seconds, then said simply as if disinterested. "Weekend."

Kara bounced a couple of times, grabbed Alex's hands, and echoed gleefully, "Weekend!"

Alex laughed, as Kara pulled her in close, and they bounced like two infants in a silly dance, but quickly settled down so that their eyes and lips were only an inch apart.

Then, in a voice too loud for a whisper, Alex said, "You are so beautiful!"

Kara felt like she was blushing in an instant. "I love you so much!" Kara whispered more quietly, "but shouldn't we be more careful?"

Then Alex surprised Kara, as she was almost crying and shaking her head emphatically. "I don't care anymore. I want everyone to know. The lying is killing me."

Kara wasn't prepared for the honest feelings Alex expressed. It felt like a role reversal. She wrapped Alex up in a protective hug and looked around. Nobody was paying them any attention, as far as Kara could tell. At least nobody was staring.

Alex gradually straightened up. She wiped her eyes with her fingers, checking for tears, but those were all soaked up in Kara's sweater. She smiled sadly. "Sorry. Can you imagine what mom would say if …"

She was cut off by a beeping sound coming from her pocket.

"Speak of the devil…" she said, pulling out the phone and flipping it open.

Alex and Kara read from the tiny screen, as Alex scrolled through 5 messages:

WORK EMRGNCY

TRAVEL 2NITE

CU SUNDAY

U CAN GET PIZZA

TAK CARE OF KARA

Alex's eyes totally gleamed. "Oh, I'll take care of you alright!"

Kara laughed and play swatted Alex off of her.

Then, as the bus started to pull away from the curb, Kara looked out of the window, scanning the area quickly for Lena. She relaxed as soon as she saw that Lena was safely sitting in her own bus, with no bullies near her that Kara could see. Lena's eyes scanned out of her own bus and met Kara's eyes, locking for a few seconds. Could Lena feel Kara's stare? Could she sense Kara's concern? Looking into Lena's eyes, Kara could sense that concern reflected right back at herself.

Alex punched Kara hard on the shoulder, instantly getting Kara's attention back, while declaring, "Punch buggy!"

Kara smiled wickedly back, saying, "Oh, you want to play punch buggy? Well game on!"

X X X

When they were only halfway home, Alex pressed the "pizza" contact on the phone.

Kara did not object. Their mom said the phone should only be used in emergencies, but Kara's stomach was growling angrily. It felt like an emergency.

Only three minutes after they arrived at home, the pizza girl delivered a huge pizza fully loaded with veggies.

"You're my hero!" Kara exclaimed, as she took the pizza, and within five minutes Kara and Alex were sprawled out on the couch, stuffing their faces, and racing through channels for entertainment.

Alex stopped clicking on a local news show, when the image of their school filled the screen.

The reporter on the scene said: "...this morning, while students were arriving for class, two boys were surprised when the hair on their heads burst into flames almost simultaneously...with no apparent cause. According to students witnessing the event, the two victims were acting aggressively towards other students, when the flames broke out. The detectives investigating the case are treating the event as the result of a dangerous prank, but they have no leads to the perpetrators, and no explanation for the cause of said prank."

Kara and Alex stared at each other in amazement. Kara was smiling, while Alex was alarmed.

"Come on!" Kara mumbled with a mouth full of pizza. She jumped from the couch and ran into her bedroom and turned on her computer.

Alex was right behind her. "What are you doing?"

"I just want to see what people are saying about what happened," Kara said.

Fingers tapped impatiently.

"Damn, I forgot how slow that computer is!" Alex said, as she paced around, waiting for the antique to boot up.

Finally, Kara double clicked on her chat room icon, and they started waiting again.

"Oh, you still use THAT?" Alex gasped and rolled her eyes. "You should really get on MySpace. It's really awesome. It's gonna take over the world in a few years. But maybe your computer is too old to run it."

Kara stuck out her tongue at Alex.

Then the chat room opened, and, after a few moments of cyber silence, filled with voices in Arial font:

6:41PM **Watcher:** ever see the movie Firestarter? thought that movie was bullshit but idunno now

6:43PM **Cookie:** No, Lana is just a witch, like Donnie always said. Gives me the creeps.

6:44PM **LenaXOXO** : Hello? I'm right here

6:44PM **Domino** : We don't know what happened either

6:47PM **Cookie** : Well, nice of Samantha and Darrin to show up, again.

6:48PM **Domino:** What?

6:50PM **Watcher:** LOL but seriously live and let live and all that and Donnie fuckn deserved it but that magic shit is creepy af

6:51PM **Cookie:** Hells yes! Why don't you freaks just find another chat room?

6:53PM **Guest3:** maybe a guardian angel started the fires

6:54PM **Cookie:** Who the fuck is Guest3?

"Hey," Alex said, half alarmed/half amused. "Why did you type that?"

"I'm just trying to get them to stop attacking Lena and Eric," Kara explained.

"But really, a 'guardian angel'?"

"Isn't that the kind of thing a guardian angel does? Is that weirder than what they are saying- a 'witch' starting fires?"

Alex pondered that for a moment, then said, "Good point, but I don't know if guardian angels as supposed to burn things, either."

Kara smiled, as she thought of the possibilities. "Maybe they do. Maybe they work in all sorts of mysterious ways."

Alex could see where Kara's mind of was going. "Oh, no, Kara, don't get any ideas! People who play with fire get their fingers burned."

"Well, I didn't say that I would do anything," Kara backtracked unconvincingly, not meeting Alex's eyes, playing innocent. "I just meant that maybe…"

"I know what you meant," Alex said sternly, but she couldn't help but smile when Kara grinned mischievously. "But remember, my ass is on the line if you get caught."

Kara nodded. Alex sounded playful, but Kara knew she was serious, too. Kara didn't want to be serious. She pulled Alex close and pet her ass affectionately. "People better leave your butt alone. Unless it's your mom, of course... Eww, that didn't come out right. But I like your butt right here where I can slap it and stuff."

"You really need to work on your dirty talk."

X X X

The girls spent the next few hours on Alex's laptop, googling phrases like "am I gay" and "coming out of the closet" and "what is incest". They were looking for some serious information, but often found themselves wandering through pornographic sites, and discovering many exciting detours in their journey for information.

Eventually, they were both lying on the living room carpet. At first, they were barely dressed, as they watched a Victoria Secret Fashion show on the big screen. Then the clothes came completely off, as they watched pure, unadulterated porn on the small screen. But the media was only a medium to get the girls into the state they really wanted to be in. There was no judgment in Victoria Secret or porn. Their worries about being gay, or coming out or whether they were in any way being incestuous seemed unimportant, and whatever led them to this point was in the past. Whatever the consequences, those were in the future. And right then, there was neither past nor future. They were simply two girls in love, staring into each other's eyes, feeling each other's bodies, and reassuring each other that whatever they did or felt, it would be better than alright.

As Friday turned into Saturday, the girls' playground moved from the living room to the shower then finally to the bedroom, leaving a trail of clothes, underwear, pillows and towels behind. Now they sat naked on the bed, barely awake, but still pressing against each other and struggling to stay awake, because as blissful as sleep seemed right then, it did not compare to being awake in the presence of each other.

"What does an orgasm feel like?" Kara asked, surprising Alex.

"Don't you know?" Alex asked, concerned for a moment, but smiling after a little recollection. "By my count, you had at least three just tonight. Once on the couch, once in the shower, and once about ten minutes ago. I mean, you really make it obvious!"

Kara blushed and laughed, but persisted: "Yeah, that felt beyond amazing! I thought I had orgasms before, like you know touching myself, but now I don't know. What I felt with you was incredible! Maybe they are super-orgasms? What does an orgasm feel like for you?"

Alex's eyes turned wistful. "Well, it's hard to explain. It's like I'm exploding and filling up at the same time. Everything tingles. Everything is so intense, it feels like I can't handle it, but I don't want it to stop."

Kara smiled, feeling relieved. "Did you have any orgasms tonight."

Alex looked away with a stupid looking grin, as she nudged Kara. "Only like a dozen times! Couldn't you tell?"

Kara shook her head.

Alex thought for a moment. "I guess I just don't show feelings very well. But I promise you, you are amazing! I fucking came all of the place!"

Kara laughed, but was still confused. "But why is it so much more now than it ever was before? Is it because of the yellow sun?"

Alex wrapped Kara up, as if trying to merge their two bodies into one. She whispered even while their lips touched each other, and spoke with wisdom beyond her age: "It's because now we are in love, silly, and cumming without love is like watching fireworks on the 4th of July all alone."

X X X

All of Saturday, they played, slept, rose and partook of each other with abandon. When one girl breathed out, the other breathed in. They knew each other so well, yet every experience was a discovery of something new, like they were meeting each other for the first time.

Like they were meeting their own selves for the first time.

Alex tried to be the big sister, even when explaining why it was OK that she wanted to fuck her little sister's brains out, and teach her little sister that it was OK for girls to be in love with other girls.

The odd thing about that is that Kara always thought of Alex less as a sister and more as a beautiful friend who had helped save her life when she had been lost in every way possible. And girls being in love with girls had been commonplace on Krypton. Kara had been in love with Alex since they had first met, and she had never questioned those feelings. So Kara let Alex teach her all she wanted, but really the person Alex was teaching was herself.

Kara soaked in all of the love and freedom Alex suddenly was discovering in her own life. Kara wanted to feel that freedom, too. The freedom to really be herself. Now, Kara felt like she had that opportunity. Eliza wasn't around, trying to protect Kara from who she was. Alex wasn't towing the line, but instead was supporting Kara in every way.

Both girls felt so empowered for the first time since they had known each other.

They did not hide that pride and power in the safety of their home. They spent the whole day out of the house, celebrating their lives in public.

They ate lunch at IHOP. Alex had a blueberry waffle with whipped cream. Kara ate a pile of pancakes large enough for a lumberjack. She appreciated that the waitress showed no signs of judgement.

Then they walked two miles to the mall and window shopped at every store where they could not even afford to buy the underwear, but they each found a pair of cute bikinis in a bargain bin.

The swimsuits were such a bargain, because the summer was long over, but the day was sunny and unseasonably warm, so they walked another mile to show off their bods on a mostly empty beach. Kara found a $20 bill buried in the sand, and both girls praised her Kryptonian eyes. They debated how to spend the small treasure until the sun fell on the horizon and blanketed the sky in orange and red.

As they made the slow walk home, they stopped by a community cinema, and saw that movie ticket prices were exactly $10 each. It felt like destiny.

They bought two tickets to The Illusionist, a romantic movie about star-crossed lovers played by Ed Norton and Jessica Biel, whose love could only be saved by magic. The girls sat way in the back, where they could make out and whisper without disturbing other people.

But Kara found herself caught up in the movie. She related to the magician, who wanted to use his amazing abilities to help people, but exposed himself to danger whenever he tried. Kara was especially fascinated by the power of illusion. She had always understood that trickery could fool people into believing they saw a magical event, but the movie showed her that the opposite was also true: If people saw true magic, most would try to convince themselves that what they saw was the result of a trick or illusion.

Without Kara saying a word, Alex seemingly saw the light going off in Kara's head. Perhaps Alex could read Kara's mind better than even Lena could.

In one scene in the movie, the magician stole his beloved away from danger by some mysterious means, perhaps through trickery, perhaps through magic. Alex whispered in Kara's ear, "So now she has a guardian angel, too."

Their eyes locked.

"Do you think that's OK?" Kara asked. "Is he bad for tricking people? If it's real, is it OK for him to use magic?"

Alex shook her head, conceding. "What can I say? It's scary, but it is what he was meant to do. He was meant to be a hero."

X X X

Kara relished the rest of the day, and another blissful night. But just before noon on Sunday, Eliza returned home, bombarding them with questions:

How was school? I hope you behaved yourselves. Did you help your sister with her school work? Why are there blankets all over the place? Where are your glasses? Did you go anywhere yesterday? Did you invite any boys over? Did you have sex with your sister? Did you expose your powers and sexual perversions to the world?

OK, those last two questions were never uttered, but Eliza's constant questions each raised the girls' anxiety another notch, and such questions seemed inevitable. The girls rudely escaped into Alex's bedroom mid-question, leaving Eliza standing alone in the kitchen, wondering if she said something wrong.

X X X

Alex drilled a tiny hole in the wall common to both of their bedrooms, and both girls pushed their beds up against that wall, and their pillows against the hole.

That hole saved them from sadness and loneliness and withdrawal from each other, as they spent the first night of the rest of their lives apart.

X X X

Kara could not have felt better about life on Monday morning, as she and Alex boarded the bus for school and barely hid their affection for each other.

But as the bus moved ever closer to the school, Alex held Kara's hand ever tighter, and tears were forming in Alex's eyes, just like they had Friday afternoon at lunch time.

Tears were so alien to Alex's eyes, and Kara did not like seeing them one bit.

"Hey…" Kara whispered soothingly, "what's wrong? We'll be back together at lunchtime.'

Alex shook her head as she replied with crazy sad certainty: "I'm going to lose you. I just know it."

Kara pulled her into a hug, whispering, "oh, don't be silly, we'll be together forever."

At the same time, Kara's muscles tensed and her senses heightened. She felt it, too. Something dark and insidious. Something worse than Eliza's attitudes. Something worse than society's prejudices. A dark cloud loomed over the school. It loomed over their lives. Kara hoped she had powers enough to protect their love from whatever it was.


	7. Secrets and Illusions

As the bus rolled to a stop, the air felt heavy and wrong. Alex looked nervous. The sound of heartbeats around the girls seemed louder. Faster.

Despite these omens, Kara put an arm around Alex and reassured her that everything was OK. Kara's life so far had been full of difficulties, distress, and worries, but now everything seemed tolerable, because she had found love. For the first time, she really did feel invulnerable, and she felt she could protect Alex from any threat that came their way.

As they stepped off the bus, the grounds outside of the school were unusually quiet. They walked towards the school entrance.

The wind whispered in her ear, calling her name. It felt strange.

Alex had stopped walking and was staring across the parking lot at the entrance to the gymnasium. Kara followed Alex's gaze and saw Lena and Eric standing there. Lena was looking back at her, beckoning the Danvers girls with her hand.

Alex and Kara hesitantly walked past three rows of cars to meet Kara's friends.

Lena looked concerned and sad, while Eric seemed furious like Kara had not seen him before. She could feel his anger, like it was a physical presence standing beside him, and his anger was directed squarely at Alex. Lena whispered in Eric's ear, asking him to wait inside, and he stormed off reluctantly into the school.

Lena sighed and looked at Alex apologetically. "Eric was hurt badly by his best friend last year. He just doesn't understand how friends can do that to each other."

Alex wilted under Lena's stare. She was shaking like the temperature had dropped 20 degrees.

"I don't understand, either," Kara said, getting frustrated and a little angry at Lena and Eric for making Alex feel this way.

"I don't know quite how to say this," Lena tries to explain. "The school always has several old security cameras pointing down the halls at all times. They still use time delay video tape, but it takes really clear pics, I guess. They never actually used the tapes before, so they are waiting for the IT guy to help them figure it out. Apparently some parents called and some kids complained and things are getting out of control."

Lena paused, afraid of this moment.

"I'm sorry, Alex," Lena said sincerely. "I'm sorry Kara. It's not my place to bring this up, but the shit is hitting the fan right now. Eric and I came into school early today, to avoid Donnie and his friend, in case he decided to come back. We ran into the principal and I, uh, heard her arguing with herself about StudentBody's list last week. It seems that the list crossed some kind of line, and the principal had finally decided to take action. They are removing the video tapes from the security cameras, and the principal is going to look at the tapes today and figure out who taped the lists up in the hallway."

"What does that have to do with us?" Kara asked sharply, anxiety growing.

Lena looked at Alex, offering her the chance to explain.

Alex opened her mouth, trying to summon the bravery, but nothing came out. Finally she forced out, "I am StudentBody. I created the list."

"What do you mean?" Kara asked, certain that Alex meant something else, even though her meaning seemed clear.

Alex tried to continue, but all she could do was put her hand over her mouth.

Kara finally understood that there was no secret meaning. Alex had just confessed to publishing that Kara was the ugliest Freshman in Leesburg High.

Kara took a step back and shook her head and stared intently at Alex, expecting to wake up, or maybe thinking it was a joke, or anything, but Alex meant exactly what she had said.

It seemed unreal, like the random crazy ideas that come to people in their dreams. Kara didn't know how to feel. She felt dull. Empty. Alex kept on talking, pleading, crying, but Kara felt blank, non-responsive.

Then suddenly she asked quite calmly: "How could you do this to me?" It was more of an innocent question than an accusation. But Kara's feelings were changing. Kara had never imagined herself as angry towards Alex before. She didn't think she could ever feel that way, so she didn't immediately recognize the emotion when it arrived.

Lena broke the silence by explaining the chain of events since last tuesday. "Apparently, publishing this list was considered a kind of verbal assault. If it had been only published on Alex's blog, they couldn't do anything, because it would have been done off of school grounds, but as soon as the lists were distributed in the halls, the school now feels like they must take action, if they can recognize Alex on the tapes..."

"How could you do this to me?" Kara asked again, more insistent.

When Alex finally answers Kara's question, she says: "Because I was afraid."

"Afraid of what?"

Then Alex explained in a burst: "I was afraid of everything. I was afraid of what mom would do to us. I was afraid of what people would think about us. I was afraid that you would love me. I was afraid that you wouldn't. I was afraid because you were so beautiful. I was afraid because I loved you so much."

Kara shook her head. "It doesn't sound like it." Kara didn't know how to react. Those answers didn't make sense. She didn't know if she understood anything, anymore. Finally, she just walked away without saying a word.

And that might have hurt Alex more than if Kara had yelled or even hit her. And Kara didn't care.

Alex stepped forward to follow Kara, but Lena stopped her, "Let her go. She needs to think."

Yes, Kara needed to think. But she also needed to feel. She needed to cry. And she couldn't do any of that right then. She couldn't feel anything.

But she must have been feeling something, because her legs were wobbly, unsteady, like the ground was about to give way under her feet.

X X X

Kara was the living dead through her first two classes of the day. Maybe if the reading was Scarlet Letter, she could have found relevance in her literature class. Kara's attention sparked briefly when her history teacher taught about Benedict Arnold, but then everything was blah blah blah again when the teacher moved on to describing what the Continental Congress was doing during the war. Her mind closed up and went dark. It was like silence, but hard to breathe, like she was sleeping in a coffin.

She got a lift in Biology class, because Lena and Eric were there.

Eric was much calmer, now, and Kara felt calmer, too.

Still she barely listened to the teacher at all, and it still felt like silence, but more peaceful, like she didn't HAVE to listen, and that was how she wanted it.

After the class ended, the trio stayed behind in the classroom even after the teacher left.

Lena asked her how she felt, but she knew. She just wanted for Kara to open up, as though just talking could fix anything.

Kara explained that she felt like her heart was torn out and like her mind didn't work. She felt like her world was destroyed all over again.

Lena and Eric raised eyebrows and looked at each other. Oops, Kara thought, was that a mistake? Somehow Kara just assumed that Lena and Eric both knew about her origin, maybe from reading Alex's mind. She let the cat out of the bag. So careless! Or maybe she meant to do it, because suddenly Lena and Eric seemed like the only people who cared about her.

Eric asked Kara if she wanted a drink of water, and the look in his eyes made Kara uncomfortable, not because he was creepy, but the opposite, he looked so caring and out of character that it made Kara wonder if she looked broken.

Kara shrugged off both Eric and Lena, and stood as if she was about to walk away, but she stopped with her back to them. "Don't worry about me. I feel fine, now."

"You don't feel fine," Lena corrected. "And you don't feel nothing. You feel like there is a black hole inside of you that won't let anything out, and it is trying to consume you. You will need to forgive Alex before you can move on."

"You want me to forgive her now? I just found out about this!" Kara said, feeling incredulous at the suggestion, then she sighed and shrugged. "Don't worry. I'll forgive her some day. Whatever. It's no big deal."

"No," Lena objected. "You'll never really forgive her until you allow yourself to feel the pain. Love is too strong to win back by just waiting for it to happen. You'll need to fight to forgive her."

"I don't want to love her anymore," Kara asserted, but she knew it was a lie as soon as the words came out. She remembered the whole weekend in a series of flashes. For a moment, she felt like she should cry, but the emotion stuck in her chest like a weight. "How can I forgive her when I can't understand why she did such a horrible thing."

"Everyone has done something horrible in their lives," Lena revealed. "Everyone thinks horrible thoughts about each other every single day. I hate knowing what people are thinking! Sometimes the best people have the worst thoughts, because they feel so strongly, but usually their better angels win out, and they do the right things, because their love is stronger than the ugliness they can't completely control. I was only near Alex a few times since we both started high school a year ago, but from those few times I could tell that she was torn up about something. I just didn't know she was torn up about you. I guess she had let some evil take over for a day, like she was trying to kill her own heart, before the rest of her being rebelled and drove the evil away. All I can sense from Alex now is pure love and crazy strong pain for what she has done, and she was feeling that even before her secret came out this morning."

"I guess," Kara said skeptically while shaking her her head. She didn't want to think about it anymore.

The three walked to the cafeteria together, and Lena and Eric wanted to eat with Kara, but Kara didn't feel like she would be good company, so she ate alone, like she had done many times before.

Alex had dropped by the cafeteria and sat across the room, watching Kara, looking like she wanted to say something. Kara didn't want to talk to Alex or hear what she had to say. She moved behind a pillar, out of Alex's view, and shortly after that, Alex moped out into the hallways.

Kara had tried to forgot about what Lena had said about how everyone does bad things and thinks bad thoughts, but the words haunted her. How could anyone do something so mean to someone they loved?

Then Kara remembered the horrible thoughts she had had, not about Alex, but about her parents sending her away. During the trip to Earth, she had cursed her real mom and dad so horribly for sending her away and not letting her die with them. They had put a horrible burden on her to go to an alien world, raise a bratty baby, and leave everyone she loved behind. She had hated her parents for months, and even believed they had deserved to die.

But that wasn't really so bad for her to feel that way, was it? At least it was understandable that her mind would lash out, given the trauma she had been through.

But the bad thoughts had continued.

She hated her step parents for trying to make her forget about her real parents and call them mom and dad, as though they could ever replace her real parents. And she hated Kal-El for abandoning her to them.

Now she regretted those feelings, but the feelings had never made her do anything really bad. She had never lashed out at them or hurt people. Not much, anyway.

And she had never struck back at fellow students when they had mocked and abused her during the first few weeks of school. She certainly had the power to do that.

So yes, she had had terrible thoughts, but they were all understandable. She just forgave herself because she knew she had gone through one hell of a trauma, and she was a much better person now that she had learned how to deal with the pain.

But Alex didn't have any excuse like Kara had. Her life was awesome by comparison, Kara thought.

At least that was what Kara always saw. But now she had to wonder: was Kara's trauma was really greater than Alex's? Maybe Alex had gone through a lot that Kara never appreciated: She had given up her status as an only child, and the only object of her parent's affection. She had taken in an alien and given up half of her things. Her dad had just died. And her self-identity was being shattered as she realized that she was madly in love with her own sister. Apparently, that was a big deal on this planet. Wasn't that excuse enough to make her lose her mind a little, and try to prove to herself that she wasn't in love with her sister by doing something so horrible?

Kara stood up suddenly, feeling enlightened. She still didn't understand why Alex had created that list, but she understood how Alex could feel strongly enough to do something so wrong, and that revelation twisted and jolted Kara's heart.

She stared at Lena, who was eating a few tables away. Their eyes locked, and Lena simply nodded. Kara wasn't sure what that meant, exactly, but it seemed that Lena thought Kara was thinking the right thoughts. Or at least feeling the right feelings.

When lunch was over, Kara wandered around aimlessly, while other students headed to their next class. Kara continued walking as the hallway traffic thinned and eventually she was wandering alone again. Nobody stopped her or asked her why she wasn't in class, but she didn't think her soul could survive an hour of geometry problems. Besides, she knew all she needed to know about geometry to solve real life problems.

After a short time, Kara could see a teacher walking down a hall at a right angle to the hall she was walking, and in a few seconds they would meet at the vertex, when the teacher would ask Kara why she wasn't in class. Kara hurried silently down the hall, her feet barely touching the floor, and she hid in the lab, which was deserted at this time of the afternoon.

Kara sat in the corner where she and Alex had been proving their love for each other on Friday, as they had shared an apple. It seemed like so long ago. She could see the apple core still on the table, next to a bunsen burner. Didn't they clean this place since then?

No, wait, this apple was fresh.

Then it occurred to Kara that Alex must have just been eating the apple here during lunch break a few minutes ago. Alex had been eating here, just like on Friday, only this time she had been eating alone.

Tremors shook through Kara's body, and that was when the dam broke. That heavy weight in her chest started overflowing, and Kara felt like she was choking and she couldn't stop the tears.

X X X

After several minutes of mourning, the tears slowed and the aftershocks subsided. It was then that Kara heard a faint voice coming from the adjacent room.

Strange. There was no classroom adjacent to the lab, only a closet, as far as Kara knew.

She squinted her eyes and peered through the concrete wall. On the other side was a tiny room filled with A/V equiptment, including several tube televisions and one of those new flat screen TVs. Sitting on a chair in the middle was a young, rough looking man wearing a X-Files T-shirt and sipping on a Coke. He was watching a B/W image on one of the smaller TV screens, where the image advanced in intervals of about 3 seconds. Kara looked harder. Now she could see that the image was from a fixed camera pointing down one of the school halls, and the only movement on the screen was from a teacher walking down the hall. Then he fast-forwarded the video tape several seconds, until a second person was talking down the hall.

Only then did Kara realize what the man was searching for on the tapes: StudentBody AKA Alex. He was waiting for her to stick the infamous lists onto the walls and catch her in the act.

Now Kara faced a choice.

Should she let Alex get what she deserved? Kara wasn't the only victim of StudentBody, either. Several other girls were proclaimed as eyesores on that list, too, and some were treated more horribly in the chatrooms than even Kara. Yes, Alex was guilty as sin. That one glimpse into her soul was far uglier than the worst photos of anyone on that list. All Kara needed to do to serve justice was walk away.

But despite everything, Kara still loved Alex. Despite everything, she trusted the Alex that she knew. Alex was a good person, or Kara was the worst judge in character in the world. Maybe she was. And maybe that meant that Kara was just as bad as Alex, because Kara didn't want the person she loved more than anyone to get what they deserved. Not even if part of Kara hated that person right then.

She wasn't quite sure what to do about it, though. She couldn't just barge into the A/V room, push the guy aside and grab the tape from the machine. And she was no magician with brilliant trickery.

But she did have some real magic, of sorts, and she was in a lab with a bunch of cool stuff all over the place. Maybe a little amateur trickery would be enough.

Kara scoured the shelves and table tops, looking for anything to trigger an idea.

In an isolated cabinet, separated from everything else was a small box of vials labeled "ACIDS", and a round disk of black metal the size of a container of blush that Eliza used. A label under the disk read, "CAREFUL: RARE EARTH MAGNET."

Then Kara knew what to do, even if she didn't think it through carefully. But she knew that video tapes could be ruined by magnets.

She opened the window nearest the A/V room and looked outside. The other room's window was only about 5 feet away.

She grabbed a pencil from a table, then leaned out of the window and tossed the pencil at the other window. It tapped lightly against the glass, but did not even capture the worker's attention. She tried again with a scalpel, throwing this a bit harder, and, to her surprise, the window shattered.

"What the fuck?" A voice asked from the other room, as he jumped from his chair to investigate.

At this point, Kara literally flew out of the lab door, opened the door to the A/V room, flew in like a gust of wind, and just like a gust of wind, she sent papers flying everywhere. She put the magnet on top of the small video tape player, to which it stuck like it was glued, and then she left and closed the door just as quickly.

"WHAT THE FUCK?!" the voice asked again, this time completely bewildered.

Kara, now back in the corner of the lab, watched anxiously as the worker looked everywhere around the room, trying to understand what had just happened. After about five minutes of scratching his head and cleaning up papers, he returned to the video tape and continued playing.

For a moment, Kara thought her ill-conceived plan was a complete blunder, as the tape continued playing just as it had before. But after about a minute, the image on the screen began to distort with waves of static and distortion. A minute later, the image was almost unrecognizable, as every rotation of the reel of tape in the cassette erased the contents a bit more.

The worker let out one final, exasperated "What the FUCK!" and Kara smiled naughtily, taking a bit of pride that her scheme actually worked.

When she heard doors opening and footsteps marching around the school, she knew classrooms were letting out, and students were migrating to their final class of the day.

Kara was tired of being alone and decided to rejoin the school community, so she walked out of the lab, and she walked right into the A/V investigator who had finally given up and was storming out of his room.

"Oh! I'm sorry, Miss," he said, awkwardly, then quickly walked away.

"I'm sorry, too," Kara said, but she doubted he had heard her.

X X X

When the final bell had signaled the end of school for the day, Kara had not learned one single thing from her classes, but the whole day had been an education that would affect her for the rest of her life.

Alex was waiting for her by the bus again. Kara walked right by her, as if ignoring her, and stepped up onto the bus. Alex looked down and didn't follow, as though Kara had kicked her while she was down. Kara paused and gestured with a wave of her head for Alex to follow. Kara took a seat by the window in the back, pressing up against the side, leaving Alex plenty of room to sit down beside her. But she folded her hands on her lap, and crossed her legs defensively, when Alex joined her.

Kara knew Alex was feeling terrible, and she felt her heart going out to Alex, but her own hurt was still there, pushing them apart like a tide.

Finally, Alex sobbed, her breathing labored, as she whispered across the growing gulf between them, "I'm sorry."

"I know," Kara replied with a tired, soft voice, as she looked out the window.

They sat quietly for a minute, as student piled in, and somehow with every student that stepped on board, Kara felt a little bit more alone. Finally, she reached over and took Alex's hand in her own.

Alex held on tight and then surrounded Kara's hand with both of hers, as though trying to surround Kara with an embrace, but only daring to touch her hand.

Kara let Alex hold her hand while she kept looking out the window. She didn't want to look into Alex's eyes again, at least not until she could see Alex the way she saw her yesterday.

The bus pulled away from the curb. As they slowly drove by a series of parked vehicles, their window passed within a couple feet of Eric's window on an adjacent bus. Eric was staring right back at them, and he looked daggers at Alex, who felt her heart race from his stare.

The bus started to pick up speed, as the vehicle left the parking area and approached the on-ramp leading to the highway.

Kara had that disturbing feeling again. It was a sense of foreboding that was palpable and seemed to permeate the entire bus.

Kara saw the driver go limp in the front of the bus, and, a moment later, a screeching sound pierced the silence, and a girl in front screamed out. Suddenly, the bus hit a bump so hard, it felt like the impact might break the bus in half, as the bus careened over the curb on the on-ramp and raced downhill towards a ravine.

If Kara wasted any time plotting how to make this rescue seem like an illusion, she would be too late to save anyone.


	8. Vandals in the Museum

When the girls finally arrived home, it was 6 PM, and their mom Eliza was already watching the local news on TV in the living room.

Kara heard the news anchor talking even before she and Alex entered the house:

 _"...The bus driver suffered a heart attack, sending this school bus plummeting off of the road, down this hill, into the ravine below."_

The TV screen showed the bus lying on the rocks at the edge of a stream. The bus looked undamaged from the distant view, except for the back door, which was missing.

The anchor continued: _"Amazingly, nobody was seriously injured despite falling almost 20 feet. The students on board tell us that the bus hit something on the way down, cushioning the fall, though whatever that something is has not yet been identified._ "

The camera switched to a boy who had been sitting one row in front of Kara and Alex. He spoke excitedly, _"It was really intense! As soon as the bus went off the road, I was like this is it. Then I heard the back door break off, and I was like this bus is falling apart, and we were going straight down. But then we hit something, and the whole bus slowed down, and then it just like stopped at the bottom. Then we all just walked out of the back."_

The camera then panned to the reporter at the scene: " _It was a miracle that nobody was hurt in the fall, but one man's life was still in danger even after everyone exited the bus. The bus driver was unconscious and had no pulse. Thanks to the heroics of one student, he is alive today_."

Alex's face suddenly filled the TV screen, with a banner below reading:

Alexandra Danvers

STUDENT HERO

" _You had just survived a terrible scare_ ," an off-screen reporter said, " _and yet you knew right away that the driver was in danger and in need of assistance. What were you thinking when you saw that the driver was unconscious?"_

 _"I wasn't really thinking,"_ Alex replied. _"My mom taught me CPR a few years ago. I am surprised that I still remember all of the steps. Anyone who knew CPR would have helped him. I'm no hero."_

The TV screen switched back to the two anchors in the news room, who looked at each other smiling. _"We beg to differ." "What a brave girl." "The man she saved is now in stable condition and is expected to make a full recovery."_

Eliza switched off the TV and turned around to face her daughters.

"Why didn't you call me?" Eliza attacked Alex. "Why do you think I gave you that phone? Instead, I had to hear about this from Jerry at work."

"I don't know, mom," Alex replied, looking almost as tired as she was sad. "There was just so much stuff going on."

Eliza stared at Kara suspiciously. "I don't suppose you had anything to do with this."

Kara cowered, as Eliza appeared to be accusing her of doing something wrong, and Kara's first thought was to apologize.

Alex spoke up suddenly, "Kara saved us all, but nobody saw anything. She flew out of the back door and caught the bus before it crashed, and then she pretended that she had climbed out of the bus like everyone else."

Eliza's stern gaze softened as she looked back and forth between Kara and Alex. "I'm just glad you are both OK," she finally said while reaching out to group hug both girls. She did not notice that the girls were not hugging each other. "And I'm so proud of both of my heroes."

When Eliza loosened her embrace, Kara pulled away, tearing her eyes from Alex and glaring at the ground. She didn't know what to say.

Their mom had made a Chinese style stir-fry with rice for dinner. Kara ate her fill, looking only at her food. She felt Alex's sad eyes constantly watching her, and Eliza smiling and talking and saying how wonderful her family was and crap like that.

Finally, Kara couldn't take it anymore, so she said, "Thanks for dinner," and then escaped into her bedroom, closing the door behind her.

X X X

Kara visited the online chatroom out of habit. Her computer screen exploded with activity. At least twenty people were texting a mile a minute, and Kara could barely follow the various threads of conversation. For once, nobody mentioned Kara at all, and she felt relieved and at the same time strangely disappointed. Every conversation was so civil, as a few survivors recounted their slice of the story. Everyone was caught in the spirit of the moment, marching to the same beat, and nobody dared to disturb that spirit of community, and Alex was praised over and over and over.

Kara turned off the computer. Her heart felt empty, and she pondered how different this entire event would have felt to her on any other day, except this one.

Kara lay down on the bed and closed her eyes, wishing everything and every memory would just go away.

Try as she might, Kara could not forget about Alex for even one minute. All things Alex was now dominated Kara's internal landscape. Alex had always been an important part of Kara's life, but over the past week, Alex had become essential, like a highly addictive drug. Kara could not distract herself from thinking of Alex, and the addiction was worse when Kara closed her eyes. Every feature, every curve and every expression of Alex's face shuffled through her mind's eye. The memory of Alex's smell and taste felt like an aching. The memory of their bodies together, intertwined, whispering and calling out and sharing the most intimate moments, felt like the only thing keeping Kara alive.

And then the unthinkable happened. Now every memory was still there, just as overwhelming, but horribly stained, like a vandal running through a museum with a can of spray paint. Except that Kara could not leave that museum. She was forced to examine every treasure and consider the damage. And she had to consider that the artist and the vandal were the same person. Why? What did it mean?

Kara rested on her bed for a long time, while those questions rolled around in her mind, but she was getting no closer to an answer.

The house remained unusually quiet while Kara contemplated and scrutinized, when finally Alex walked hesitantly up to Kara's bedroom door. She raised her fist, preparing to knock on the physical barrier, but she hesitated, as the guilt seemed to be holding her back. Finally, she turned and began to walk away.

"Just come in, Alex," Kara called out.

Alex took a deep breath and bit the bullet, closing the door behind her. She folded her arms in front of her and tried to meet Kara's eyes. "I'm really sorry about all of that stuff on the news. I didn't know they were going to make me out like some kind of hero."

Kara sighed, "I know, Alex. But you **were** a hero. You don't have to feel bad about that. You saved that man. I didn't know how to do that."

Alex shook her head, "You deserved all the credit. You should have been the one doing the interviews and getting all the admiration. Everyone needs to stop pretending like I'm your big sister. You should be calling all of the shots, because I obviously suck at it."

"I don't mind being your little sister, or even if you tell me what I should do. I'm not really even mad anymore," Kara replied sincerely, but she was clearly anguished.

"Really?" Alex asked, disbelieving.

Kara nodded. "Yes, but everything isn't just going away. I need to know why you did it. I need to know everything."

Alex thought for a moment, then sat down on the bed beside Kara. "I don't know where to start, because you don't know much about my friends." She looked down at her hands, and began her story:

"So I guess I should start there. Those _people I_ called friends were the popular girls, and everyone wanted to be one of their friends. They were really nice to me after dad died, and they really helped, but some of them were not very nice, so girls kept leaving, and soon there were only four of us left: Linda, Peg, Cookie and me. By then I always felt different, like the odd one out, but I needed to still be one of them. I can't explain why. I was afraid to talk, because I might say something nerdy and prove I didn't belong. They had lots of opinions about things and about people, and, well you know about Cookie, so I was always worried that they wouldn't like what I was wearing or how I was talking or what I was thinking. But I always got invited to parties, and popular boys asked me out, and I thought that was what I wanted, so I tried hard to fit in.

"Then this year started, and everything changed. Cookie isn't satisfied controlling just the four of us. She wants to be like queen of all of the sophomores or something. Peg and Linda are always to her left and right, and they all seem to think alike and think everyone should think like them and have boyfriends like theirs. I wanted to prove I was just like them and that I could still be useful, so I created the StudentBody blog and posted something about what fashions were hot, and of course the fashions my friends liked were always the hottest. They really loved the blog, so I kept blogging about things I thought they'd like, hoping that I could still be one of them.

"The thing is I could never really fit in, once you started school this year. My friends saw you, and you were...different. They knew you were my sister, so that made me different, too. I told them you were adopted, and that we are nothing alike."

Alex shifted on the bed and said nothing for a moment, then asked, " I said some .. bad things. Are you sure you want to hear this?"

Kara shook her head, and asked, "Do I need to?"

Alex closed her eyes and nodded. "You see when dad died last year, I blamed you for that. I mean, I knew it wasn't your fault, but I couldn't help but think that if mom and dad hadn't adopted you, he would still be alive. So I said mean things about you to them. They didn't know you, and I never really even thought they'd ever meet you, so I didn't think it would ever matter, no matter what I said. So I told them you were creepy and weird. They were already suspicious of adopted and home schooled kids, so there was no way they would ever like you after that.

"Then you started this year, and they saw you were actually pretty. They also saw how we acted together, and I guess they saw something about us that even I didn't know. Something I didn't want to know. They thought we were too friendly. Cookie said that sisters don't act like that, and that totally creeped her out, and the other girls agreed, and that scared me, especially because I thought it might be true. So I said 'Gross!' or whatever whenever they mentioned it, and I insisted that I was only nice to you because I had to be and that I thought you were ugly. But they didn't totally buy that, I don't think. I thought that was why they suggested we do the list on my blog, to see what I really thought of you. Now I'm not sure. Maybe they just loved the power of saying who is pretty and who is ugly like they were authorities or something, and of course we were all on the eye-candy list, but none in first place, and Cookie was put on the Junior list like it was a mistake, as though that made us less suspicious. But it wasn't all about power or vanity: I was sure the list was a test, too. I mean, when I asked them who should be the prettiest freshmen girls, Peg suggested, "Kara Danvers," and I thought she was serious for a moment, but then Cookie and Linda rolled their eyes, and I knew it was a test. 'Be serious!' I said, but that wasn't strong enough, so when we started creating the ugly list, I didn't even ask them for their picks before I wrote down your name.

"You see, nothing is ever what it seems to be with them, and I was sure they were testing me. I thought if I proved that I didn't think of you that way, I'd feel like I belonged with them again, but it still felt like they were judging me. Maybe they really didn't care what I thought of you, but they were really testing how easily they could manipulate me. Now I think maybe I was really just testing myself."

Kara finally interrupted, suggesting, "Maybe they really never liked you at all."

"Maybe," Alex nodded. She had held her emotions mostly in check until then, but the floodgates were starting to open. She wiped her eyes, and her voice began to crack when she said, "I knew one thing for sure as soon as I saw how I had made you feel: I didn't like myself, either and I'll never deserve to be liked by anyone ever again, especially not by you."

"That's not true," Kara said while touching Alex's hand and offering a smile. "You just need to promise to never do anything like that again."

Alex nodded emphatically. "Yes, of course, I promise."

Kara then continued, half serious, half teasing, "And you need to tell me every day that you love me and that I'm pretty and that I'm the best thing that ever happened to you, and and never, ever choose your friends over me."

Alex nodded, taking her very seriously. "I love you more than anything, and you are so beautiful, and the only friend I need is you."

 ** _Too_** seriously.

Kara said, "You should have friends. We should both have friends. Good friends we can trust like Lena, not like Cookie."

"I don't know," Alex said. "Lena and Cookie were best friends before I met her last year, before dad died. Didn't you know that?"

"No," Kara replied, startled, and shook her head. She was constantly surprised by how complicated high school was. Suddenly, Kara didn't see Cookie as just a mean girl anymore. Cookie was a disease. A Cancer. It all felt like too much, so she said, "I feel tired."

"OK," Alex said, taking that as a sign that Kara wanted to be left alone. That was not what Kara wanted. Or maybe it was, Kara wasn't sure.

Kara closed her eyes and tried to sleep, but she was kept awake by her thoughts of Alex and how much everything had changed since this morning. But Alex's visit made her think of those changes in a different light. Now she realized that the treasures in the museum were not destroyed by the vandal. The treasures were changing and being given a whole new level of meaning. The new meaning was much sadder than yesterday, but much deeper now, too. She didn't need to throw away all of those hopes and memories. She needed to look closer, to look differently, and eventually, maybe, she would appreciate everything in the museum even more.

When Kara felt like she might finally drift into sleep, she heard Alex whisper through the hole in the wall.

"Are you there?" Alex asked hopefully.

"Yeah," Kara whispered.

"I can't stop thinking about you."

"Me, too."


	9. Friends and Frenemies

Later in the week, the Freaky Four, as they would soon be known as, sat at one corner of the cafeteria at lunch time. The awkward, certified ugly orphan. The disturbing goth boy. The psycho wise girl. The girl who once had it all. They were about as isolated as they could be in the large, open room.

Alex held Kara's hand tightly, nervously. She didn't really want to do this. She didn't like being so close to Lena. She promised Kara she didn't have anything else to hide. She was being as open to Kara as she knew how. But being near someone who could read minds was scary. Alex worried that maybe she was hiding something she had forgotten about. Maybe she was hiding something from herself, something she didn't want to know about herself. Or maybe there was something wrong with her that anyone could see. The new glue bonding Kara with Alex still seemed so fresh and tenuous, barely sustaining the desperate repair to their relationship. So being near Lena at any time was dangerous, and never more so than now.

Still, Alex fought her fear. Kara so much wanted for them all to be friends, and Alex was so worried that Kara couldn't completely trust her if she refused to be friends with Lena. Alex needed to make this work.

So they sat on the edge of the large table, Kara and Alex on one side, Lena and Eric on the other.

Kara didn't share Alex's anxiety. Kara had a big, guilt-free smile on her face, as she eyed the hefty serving of comfort food on the plate in front of her, waiting a short moment for politeness sake, before diving in.

She never let go of Alex's hand with her other hand, though, which did not escape Eric's notice, even though their hands were hidden under the table.

"I'm impressed," Eric said, looked amused. "I thought you'd be at each other's throats. That must have been some great make-up sex."

Kara stopped chewing a mouthful of food, and she and Alex stared at Eric in shock.

"Eric!" Lena blurted out, then looked at Kara and Alex, and gestured for calmness with her hands. "You have to forgive Eric. That's just his idea of humor. He doesn't know what he's saying."

"Sure," Eric said dismissively, then started eating his food.

Kara didn't know what to think at first. She knew Eric's moods, now. She knew he was just being playful, but that was a very specific joke, if that's what it was. She glanced at Lena, who rolled her eyes, as if to say, That's just Eric being Eric. And then Kara finally calmed down, because it was true. Eric often made jokes like that, and even if he believed it, she was sure he didn't mean any offence by it.

Kara whispered in Alex's ear, "It's true. I don't think he knows anything."

Lena was watching them, relaxing as she saw Alex start to relax. Of course Lena knew everything. That was never in question.

Besides, wasn't this why Alex agreed to hang with Kara's friends in the first place? To get any secrets out of the way?

Alex smiled like it was ok, but her whole body tensed with stress.

And then Kara realized something that she felt stupid for not realizing before: Alex wasn't here just to make new friends or to clear the air. Alex only wanted for Kara to trust her again, and she would do anything to make that happen, no matter how painful.

Then Kara felt really guilty. She didn't want Alex to suffer. She had already forgiven Alex. Alex was really doing this so she could forgive herself.

Lena was reading the situation, even if she couldn't read Kara's mind, and she knew exactly what was bothering Alex. She said flatly, "I know this is hard, but you don't need to worry about me. I know more secrets than you can imagine. But I feel like the secrets are my secrets, too. I would be way too ashamed to share them with anyone else. Even the vilest of secrets feel like a gift, given in the strictest confidence. Sometimes I don't want the gift, but I can't reject it, and I don't feel I have any right to piss on that gift by sharing it with anyone else. Does that make sense?"

Kara and Alex nodded, just because they thought they should, but Kara wasn't really sure she understood what Lena meant. Lena was such a good talker, but everything she said seemed so deep.

Eric just kept on eating, as though Lena was explaining why she chose to wear the blue skirt to school today rather than the red skirt. Kara guessed that Lena went on such deep speeches often.

But rarely were her speeches this disturbing, so taking Eric's cue, everyone started eating, keeping their mind on their food.

That's when Kara noticed a pretty girl across the cafeteria staring at them. She gestured for Alex to look up. "Who's that."

Alex had already noticed. "That's Cookie."

Kara's mouth dropped. She had seen her before, but she had never put the face together with all the words in the chatroom or with how Alex described her. She seemed so innocent looking.

"Don't stare!" Alex admonished Kara.

But that didn't stop Cookie from staring at them from across the room. Shortly after, Cookie said something to the girl on her left, who then looked over as well, then reluctantly the girl stood up. She adjusted her skirt and blouse and started walking towards the Freaky Four's table.

Alex tightened up again. "That's Linda," she whispered.

Lena looked up, then back at Alex, knowingly. "Don't worry," Lena comforted. "They can't hurt you more than you let them hurt you."

Alex felt almost panicky now. Thanks for the advice Lena, Kara thought. Big help.

Linda walked right up to Alex. She looked stiff and impatient, as she examined the four girls.

She forced herself to look at Kara for a moment, and then said with a politeness that was difficult to react to with offense: "You look so much prettier without your glasses."

Kara figured it must be a complement, so she thanked Linda, but Linda had already finished talking to Kara, and paid her no mind. She finally said to Alex what she was sent to say: "Cookie wants you to hang out with us."

Alex was ready for this. She did not want to make waves, so she replied courteously, "Thank her for inviting me, but I need to spend more time with my sister."

Alex gave Kara a quick, tight hug with one arm. Kara smiled, as Alex closed her eyes and whispered in Kara's ear that she loved her. Alex was trying to find strength in that love.

Linda's mouth dropped in disbelief at the rejection, but she collected herself: "Oh of course. I'm _sure_ Cookie will understand that _family_ comes first."

Abruptly Linda turned to Lena, but never quite looked at her, as she said mockingly: "Hi Lena, I hope the voices aren't bothering you much anymore."

"Oh, thanks Linda for your concern," Lena replied with a childlike innocence. "But the voices are so mean, they want me to tell you to fuck off. Sorry, just passing that along."

Linda was so shocked that she stormed off in a hurry.

Alex rebuked Lena for taunting Linda (and Cookie by proxy), but Lena countered, "Don't you realize you already declared war by refusing her invitation?"

Alex shrugged innocently and tried to summon confidence. "Cookie didn't really care about me, anyway. She'll forget about it in a day or two."

Lena shook her head. "Sure, Cookie doesn't actually care about you or anyone I think, but you aren't really a person to her. You are a possession, and she thinks you owe her. And Linda is pissed at you, too, for upsetting Cookie and for making her the bottom rung."

Alex shuddered. "You couldn't have gotten that from just reading Linda's mind."

Lena shrugged. "I didn't need any super powers to read her mind. You forget that I was Cookie's best friend for a while, back when she seemed like an insecure freshman, like everyone else. But she was really more confident than most people, and she seemed to determined to make people like her. I had loved that about her, but I didn't understand what was driving her. She always had a devious mind with a talent for manipulation, but she seemed considerate and helpful when we first met. She did it on a subconscious level at first, before what she wanted was clear. She was investing in kindness, then cashing the goodwill in for power.."

"Yes!" Alex said. "I kept thinking it was just me. She was just so nice when we first met, and then I didn't know what was going on when she changed and started being mean."

Lena nodded. "After a while, I was getting worried about some of the things she did, and some of the things she was thinking. I thought I could help her, and I really cared about her back then, so I did what I promised my mom I'd never do: I told her about my ability. She didn't believe me, so I made the huge mistake of telling her exactly what she was thinking. Nobody likes it when I do that, I know that now. Once Cookie realized that I really could read minds, she avoided me as much as possible, and she figured out that if she focused her mind on something distracting, I would have a hard time figuring out what she was thinking of. She was right. Then she plotted ways to destroy me. She and Peggy spread rumors about me, that I was hearing voices, and that the voices were telling to do things. Dangerous things. Perverted things. That I had multiple personalities. People believed it. Everyone knew there was something weird about me. I couldn't help but react sometimes to some of the thoughts I would hear. I mean it sometimes actually feels like I'm hearing things. Now I really was hearing those voices in my mind, and they were all thinking about me

"Then, one day in the cafeteria, I was sitting right over there, all alone, with everyone just staring at me, and they were thinking the most awful thoughts. About me. I can't describe what it felt like. Maybe it felt like being in a car accident that just wouldn't end." Lena said, reminding the girls of what they had just gone through on the bus. "Then I totally lost it. I don't even remember what I said or did, but some people thought I might kill myself. Then the police showed up and took me away in handcuffs. I told my therapists, well, everything. They didn't believe me, so they wouldn't let me go, until I proved it. I was better off when they didn't believe me, because then maybe they would have let me go as soon as I felt better, but now they wanted for me to stay forever, for them to experiment on. They insisted that I needed continuous help, but they really didn't believe that. Not really. After two months, my mom finally got me out of there."

"Well, shit!" Alex said in awe. Kara and Eric nodded in agreement. Apparently, even Eric hadn't heard that story before.

"That's what Cookie did to me. Don't underestimate her," Lena warned. "She plans everything in her life like a grandmaster, always thinking five moves ahead, and willing to sacrifice a friend for the smallest of reasons. I could never keep up. I have only known one other person who thinks like that."

"Oh my God," Alex gasped, as she leaned into Kara. "What have gotten us into?"

Lena looked off in the distance, haunted by the memories of her own past. She said ominously, "There are some bullies that no matter how strong you are on the inside, they can still destroy you."

Kara gave Alex a quick hug. "It will be ok. You have all of us now. You don't have to face Cookie alone." Then Kara flashed Lena a look, as if to say, Stop worrying her!

Lena sighed. "Well, it's true, I had to get through that hell alone. You at least have Kara." Lena thought for moment. "And you have me, too. I know how Cookie can mess with your mind, and make you do things you don't want to do. She made me do things I'm not proud of, too, and I really should have known better."

Alex nodded and breathed more easily.

"You have me, too," Eric said, never looking up from his food. "I hate that bitch."

Alex laughed, though Eric didn't seem to be joking, but somehow his matter-of-fact comment broke the tension. Then Kara and Lena laughed, too.

"You see," Kara whispered in Alex's ear. "Four is better than two."

"It just feels weird, knowing that Lena is in my head," Alex whispered to Kara, even though Lena could hear her very thoughts.

"So now you know what it feels like," Kara whispered with a low, sexy voice, while touching Alex in a very un-sisterly manner under the table. "You have been in my head all day.'

"Behave," Alex said sternly, but then giggled and blushed.

Lena and Eric both raised a brow.

"Young love," Eric said, like a dismissive old man.

Everyone laughed again, then went back to eating with haste. Lunch time was almost over.

Just before lunch ended, Kara caught sight of Cookie, Peg and Linda at the table far away, looking back at them. It was a hard, fierce look. The kind of look two rival teams might share before the big game. Then, for the first time, Kara realized the seriousness of Lena's warning. The two groups at separate tables have become rivals. Alex's old friends were a problem that would not go away.

X X X

Lunch came to an end. Eric and Lena went one way, and the Danvers girls went another. Alex accompanied Kara to the door to Kara's math class.

"You'll be late," Kara warned without concern.

"I'm feeling insecure. I don't think I could get through the rest of the day without a kiss," Alex whispered, with a teasing smile, and a joking voice, but with very serious eyes.

Kara kissed her on the cheek.

"A real kiss!" Alex objected

"Mmmm, what are we going to do about this?" Kara asked.

Alex nodded down the hall at the auditorium.

"The Love Caves," Kara asked. That was the nickname for a space behind the stage that was usually in a state of disrepair, but included an old, cushy couch and two private booths where performers could change into costume.

Alex raised an eyebrow. "You know about those?"

"I've heard things," Kara replied mysteriously.

The girls looked around. The coast was clear, and Kara verified that the auditorium was empty.

"Just a quickie," Alex promised when they stepped into the cave. "I don't want you to be late for your class."

Kara rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right."

"Just get in here," Alex demanded, grabbing Kara's hand with surprising strength, and pulling the super-girl into the musty dimmed alcove, where they could tune out all of the problems of their world and focus on each other.

X X X

Alex and Kara each tried to sneak into their next class ten minutes late, hoping to avoid notice. Their respective teachers both stopped mid-monolog, looked at their watches, mocked their tardy students, then struggled to regain their trains of thought.

The girls sat with their heads resting on their hands daydreaming, remembering a kiss. Alex basked in Kara's forgiveness, and Kara was inspired by Alex's boundless atonement.

The girls crossed paths between classes, smiled, but resisted the urge to stop in the middle of the hall and continue where they had left off in the Love Cave.

They finished their last class, and the girls met between their classrooms, before going to their lockers. Alex scolded Kara, because she wasn't wearing her bra, after having removed it earlier. Kara stuck out her tongue. She didn't even remember where she had left it, and she decided that she didn't ever want to wear a bra again.

They were two girls from different worlds, different in every way, except that now they were in love, so they were the same.

They walked with brazen, child-like confidence, like Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn, if the iconic characters were female and gay and madly in love.

But their confidence was shattered as they neared Alex's locker.

A small crowd gathered around Alex's locker, while security personnel stood to either side, and the principal was shifting through the contents. Alex's books were stacked in front of the locker, beside a random pile of personal effects. The principal reached into the locker and lifted out a small stack of paper with a familiar array of color and text, that the girls immediately recognized as the infamous lists from StudentBody.

Alex gasped, and said to Kara, "I didn't put those there!"

But the crowd around the locker all saw the lists and began whispering. Forgotten was the admiration from Alex's heroics a few days before. Dozens of eyes now sought out Alex, and when they found her, they radiated scorn.

Kara said nothing, but she remembered what Lena had warned them about. This was a brilliantly conceived scandal, timed to explode the moment school ended, and everyone was around to watch it unfold.

Alex looked at the ground, shaking her head. "Cookie knows my locker combination." All of Cookie's friends knew each other's combinations, to prove their trust in each other.

Kara hugged Alex, saying over and over, "It will be OK."

"Oh, how cute!" Cookie said, sounding like she meant it, as she appeared from within the crowd. Linda and Peg were beside her like twin dogs on an invisible leash. Cookie then almost yelled out, sounding like a pissed off authority when she said loud enough for bystanders to hear, "I never realized how mean you are, Alex! Just because you said we were pretty, did you think we'd forget that you were dumping on other girls? Tsk Tsk, for shame!"

Alex stared at Cookie in disbelief. She struggled to think of words to defend herself.

Peggy looked at Kara, shaking her head. "It's amazing that you stick by your sister, even after she trashed you. Don't you have any pride?" If anyone looked at Peggy's face, they would see the smile that betrayed her.

Kara was about to yell back and demand that Peggy mind her own business, but Cookie spoke up first.

"It's almost as though they are hiding something," Cookie offered, as if lost in thought. Then she flipped a tiny camera out of her pocket and snapped a picture of the Danvers girls and showed it to Peg, who shrugged. "Better than the pic in the Cave. That was a bit too dark. Hard to see. But I love the pics from the cinema. That was quite a love story, wasn't it. Those pics were magical."

Linda nodded. "They really should pay more attention to their surroundings."

"Oh, yes," Cookie nodded thoughtfully. "They need to think before they act, before they make their situation any worse."

Suddenly, the principal's voice boomed above all of the other voices. "Alex Danvers?"

The Danvers girls looked up at the tall man, who seemed to tower over them.

"I think we'd better talk. In my office, now."


	10. Cameras are Guns

The principal wanted to see Alex alone, but Kara insisted on staying with her sister, and the principal relented. Maybe Kara being there was OK because she was family, but Kara also thought he was intrigued that one sister would stand by the other, even after being publicly insulted.

As soon as the Danvers girls sat on the bench seat in the principal's office, he excused himself, saying he would be right back.

Kara heard him talking to a teacher outside of his office. The teacher expressed her shock that Alex was the "little bully bitch", especially after she had praised Alex yesterday in front of the class for her heroics. The principal said something about finding the assistant principal and some other teachers, and he wanted to get the superintendent on the phone. Kara guessed that she and Alex would be alone for at least a few minutes.

"Did they mention anything about mom?" Alex asked, knowing Kara was listening in. Alex was a nervous wreck.

Kara shook her head.

Alex sighed, "It doesn't matter. It's inevitable. What am I going to do?"

"WE will figure out something," Kara insisted, showing plenty of undue confidence. "We are not going to let Cookie win."

"OK," Alex said in a challenging tone. "What are WE going to do?"

Kara shrugged. "Why don't we just tell them the truth? The whole truth? I felt a lot better about what you did once you told me the whole truth."

"Didn't you hear what Cookie said?" Alex said, rolling her eyes. "She has pictures or us doing ... stuff, and who knows what else."

"So?" Kara asked innocently. "So what if everyone knows? Is it illegal or something? -Just because people call us sisters?"

"We ARE sisters," Alex said, looking down, looking devastated, tears flowing freely. "Everyone in the school would talk behind our backs. Or to our faces. That's all we'd ever be to them, ever! And what would mom say? What would she do? Maybe your cousin will take you away. This is all my fault!"

Kara didn't know what to say, so instead of saying anything, she leaned into Alex, like a cat seeking attention. Then she lay her head on Alex's lap. Alex stroked her hair. Kara felt a few tear drops fall on her face. After a minute, the tear drops stopped, and Alex's fingers stopped trembling.

"I can stop Cookie," Kara finally offered.

Alex's fingers stalled over Kara's hair. "What do you mean?"

"I can take her camera," Kara said calmly. "She'd never know it's missing. I can destroy her computer, so she can't post the pictures."

Alex thought about that for a moment, then shook her head. "It's not good enough. Cookie is too smart. She'll have a flash drive hidden somewhere that we don't know about. Even if we destroyed everything, something new would pop up. We'd be looking over our shoulders, whenever we touched. You don't know her. Even if we pretended to be normal sisters, she'd find some way to get back at us!"

Kara closed her eyes, soaking in Alex's gentle caresses.

Then she sat up and looked into Alex's eyes. "Well, I guess we just need to get something on Cookie, so she doesn't dare use what she has on us."

"What?" Alex replied, as if the idea hadn't occurred to her as well. "What did you have in mind?"

Kara shrugged. She hadn't thought beyond the obvious threat of mutually assured destruction. "You know her a little, right? She is so popular, she must have something about her she doesn't want people to know."

Alex wiped away her tears, as a glimmer of hope glowed in her eyes. She bit her lip in concentration. "I know her locker combination, but I bet she already changed that. That was the only secret any of us have on Cookie. She is really mean, but somehow she always keeps her hands clean. She got us to do the dirty stuff."

Kara furrowed her brow. "So we've got nothing? She never told you any secrets?"

Alex shifted through her memories. "Well, she did tell us that she once fantasized about making love to another girl, but I think she only said that to get me to confess my feelings for you. Then there was that time a boy got her drunk and then felt her up. She wouldn't want me to tell anyone that, but nobody would blame her for that happening." Then Alex's eyes opened wide in excitement. "Then she told us about another time she got drunk with some rich jock after a football game, and he took her out to a tattoo parlor. Cookie lifted her blouse and showed us the tat she got just above the bikini line. It is a small tattoo of the cookie monster salivating over a cookie, with the words "Eat me" on it. Her mom is super strict and she'd freak if she knew. She made us promise to never tell anyone about it, she was so embarrassed. That's why only wears a one piece bathing suit to the beach, if she ever goes there at all."

Kara smiled. "So all we need to do is tell her that if she shows anyone those pics of us, we'll tell them about her tattoo!"

Alex nodded. "I did promise not to talk about it, but I guess after what she did to me, well, nobody would blame me for, you know, breaking that promise."

Kara nodded and said. "Totally!"

Just then, the door opened, and the principal and his assistant entered the room. They did not acknowledge the two girls. The assistant moved a chair and sat beside the principal, who sat behind his desk and pressed a button on his desk phone. A dial tone sounded through the speaker phone, and then the principal pressed a bunch more buttons.

A pause. Two rings. Then a clicking sound. "Hello, Hank, hold on a second…" A few more clicking sounds, then the voice continued with a less clear, more echoey sound. "OK, go ahead."

The principal cleared his throat and continued. "OK, I have my assistant Katie here. You've met, right? And we also have Alexandra Danvers and her sister Kara."

"And she is the one…" the voice began on the phone.

"Yes," the principal jumped in. "Kara is one of the girls cruelly insulted by the list, though she is actually quite pretty."

The principal and his assistant both smiled at Kara, as if to apologize that anything so mean could happen at their school.

"I'm sure she is," the voice on the phone said impatiently. "But I was referring to the other girl. Isn't she the girl who saved the bus driver in that horrible accident the other day?"

"Oh yes," the principal said apologetically.

"Pick up," the voice came on the phone sharply.

The principal grabbed the handset, and said, "OK."

Kara heard a faint sigh on the phone handset, then: "This is not good, not after we've just praised her to high heaven on the news. This could blow back in our faces. Is there any way we can let this slide?"

The principal shook his head, as though the superintendent could see that. He said firmly, "We've had several complaints from parents about distraught daughters. Many students were there when we found the evidence in the locker. This isn't going away."

Kara heard another sigh on the handset, then, "Alright, alright! I don't want to hear any more distressed groups of parents complaining that we are doing nothing about bullying. But coming down hard on a local hero is not going to go well, either. OK, let me talk to the girl."

The principal switched the speaker back on: "OK, go ahead."

"Hello, Miss Danvers," the voice said more gently, with a tone often used when talking down to students. "How are you doing today?"

Alex was startled by the absurd question, so she replied with the absurd answer: "OK… I guess."

"I'm having trouble understanding how a girl such as yourself could be so hurtful to your fellow classmates. Can you give me any explanation?"

Alex looked down at her lap and paused. She wiped away a tear and hardened her face, preparing to face her judgement. She said, "No, sir, I can't."

Kara gaped at Alex. Had she forgotten what they had just talked about?

"I'm sorry to hear that," The voice sighed yet again, then talked as though practicing a press release rather than punishing a subversive student. "Ranking girls as a kind of beauty contest is so damaging to the self-esteem of the young women in our schools. But then grading girls on how unattractive they are is simply abusive. I have to consider the anguish of the twenty girls on this list that you have publicly insulted, including your own sister, I hear. Apparently, she is supporting you on this, but when push comes to shove, families tend to stick together, so I guess it's no surprise. Therefor, I see no other choice..."

"She was forced to!" Kara finally blurted out. She had tried to be patient and quiet, the way her family had trained her to be. She had waited for Alex to defend herself, but she couldn't let this go on any further.

Alex glared at her, but Kara wouldn't shrink away. Kara's eyes were turning fierce. She was not going to let Cookie get away with this.

There was a long, awkward silence, as everyone digested her outburst.

"Who was that that?" asked the voice over the phone.

"The sister," the principal answered. "Karen Danvers."

"Kara," Kara corrected.

"Well, Kara, what did you mean?" The voice asked with a tone teetering between impatience and curiosity. "How can someone be forced to offend 20 girls?"

Alex glared at Kara.

Kara glared right back at her, then she waved her arms, trying to urge Alex to defend herself.

Alex coughed and took a deep breath. "I wasn't exactly forced to do anything. But I didn't want to post the list."

"Is this Alexandra talking? Please explain yourself. If you didn't want to post this list, why did you, for goodness sake?"

"I was afraid of what people would think of me. I was afraid of myself," Alex said, struggling for the words.

"What were you afraid of?" the voice asked, now with a tone full of concern and almost desperate curiosity. Suddenly, Kara realized the superintendent must have a daughter. A daughter he didn't really understand.

Maybe he would believe the truth! she thought hopefully.

"I was afraid of my feelings for my sister," Kara imagined Alex confessing.

Kara would be surprised and relieved. She hated how deceptive people on Earth are. She hated that people wanted for her to tell lies, too. She had been urging Alex to open up and be honest.

Now, having stepped over the enormous wall of fear that had trapped her, she would run from the trap that had held her as fast as she could. She would confess just about everything, maybe even about Kara's true origin.

She would tell about how messed up she was when Kara was adopted. She would tell about how messed up she was when her dad died. She would tell about how impossible it was for her to admit to herself, much less to anyone else, that the flashes of jealousy and hate and confusion she had towards Kara were really just a deformed version of her love, after being beaten down and locked away deep inside, because the lies were internalized.

She would educate her rapt audience about bullies by telling how Cookie took her into her group of friends. She would tell of how Cookie found out about her insecurities and used them against her and against her other friends, and pressured her to post all of the lists and lies, and making her feel like she would lose everything if she didn't.

Then the superintendent would praise Alex for her honesty. She would receive an obligatory three hour detention, then the school would investigate Cookie and punish her and expose her so that she might never hurt anyone again.

But of course that is not what happened. It was a daydream that lasted for about five seconds. Only in dreams do people say what they really feel to strangers. Only in dreams do those strangers respond with sympathy and encouragement. Only in dreams can people dare to tell about things as they really are.

Instead, Alex stammered and said simply, "I was afraid of disappointing my friends. It wasn't my idea, but we all wrote the list, and they pushed me into taping it to the walls. Then Cookie was angry with me today for avoiding her, so she planted the extra copies in my locker...She has all of our locker combinations."

Kara was disappointed. What Alex said was true, but it left out so much that it felt like a lie.

The principal and superintendent were also disappointed. Kara thought the superintendent was hoping to learn something about how teen aged girls think. After all, he was charged with educating hundreds of young women. Instead, Alex told him the same tired old tale of cliques and backstabbing. So useless. So boring.

"The first thing we tell you in school is not to give away your combinations, but students never listen to us," the principal complained aloud, as though somehow the superintendent might blame him for what happened.

The voice on the speakerphone ignored his comment and asked. "Who is this Cookie person?"

The assistant principal finally spoke. "I, uh, believe there is a student named Cookie. In fact, I think she is on the list. But the person who came to me, telling me about the lists, was named Linda."

Of course she was, Kara thought, as she and her sister looked at each other. Cookie would never get her hands dirty.

The principal glared at his assistant. Apparently Kara and Alex were not supposed to know who accused Alex.

"We will talk with both these Linda and Cookie girls and find out where the faults lie. If they were a part of the creation and dissemination of these lists, they will share in your punishment, but succumbing to peer pressure is no excuse for hurting people. You have chosen their approval over compassion for the innocent and even over your own sister, so while I sympathize with the pressure you might have felt, I cannot let this misdeed go unpunished."

"I understand," Alex said with resignation.

"Good," the voice continued, then to the principal, "Pick up, please."

The principal switched off the speaker, and the superintendent continued talking in private (he assumed). "I will leave the investigation and the matter of punishment up to you , Hank. Be quick about this. Wrap it up tomorrow. No doubt gossip is already spreading throughout the school even now that school is out, thanks to texting and email and MySpace. We need to appear both strong and fair and decisive. Remember at least right now the only thing we have on that girl Cookie are the words of these two girls. The only thing we have on that other girl- what is her name again? - all we have is whatever she might have said to your assistant. We have good evidence against Alexandra, but need to consider her recent heroics. I don't know if we have the grounds to suspend anyone, but perhaps a combination of detention and a meeting with their parents would be sufficient. I will leave that up to you, but please keep me abreast of any developments."

The two men then considered the matter finished and went on to talk about routine school affairs, crack a few jokes, then said their long, drawn out goodbyes, while the Danvers girls waited anxiously.

The principal was pleasant and friendly while hobnobbing on the phone, but his attitude sank as soon as he hung up the handset.

He stared at Alex, appearing more upset than when they had entered the room. Apparently, he was not too happy about all of this work and responsibility suddenly dropping onto him.

"Well, I think that will be all for today. We'll pick this up tomorrow," he said while stretching his arms. He waved his hand towards the door, indicating that the girls should move along. "Just wait at the bus stop, and I'll have someone drive you home."

X X X

The girls were quiet, until they were standing at the bus stop, but Kara could see the arguments Alex was having with herself in her head. Alex's heart was pounding, her eyes were darting left and right, but the dark stare on her face was not of fear but anger.

"What do you think your mom will do when they tell her," Kara finally asked, not able to take the intense silence any longer.

Alex paused, then said, "It will be OK. She'll probably ground me for a week and yell a lot and tell me how much she is disappointed in me, but I don't think she cares very much about this sort of thing."

Then Alex stared like a laser into Kara's eyes and declared: "But that's only because she's never going to find out about us!"

"So we're going to threaten to tell everyone about her tattoo if she shows those photos?" Kara asked, remembering the plan they were formulating earlier.

Alex thought about that for a moment and shook her head. "It's not good enough. She could just deny it and refuse to show anyone and nobody would make her, based on anything I'd say. I'm sure everyone already hates me now, after that show at the locker. If I start bitching about stuff, it will just make me look worse. But if we can get a picture of the tattoo, it doesn't really matter what people think of me. The photo will say it all. She'll have to drop this pure, 'nice girl' act. Her mom will kill her!"

Alex had a wicked smile on her face, as she plotted her next move.

Kara didn't mind. She wanted to see Cookie get brought down a couple of notches, too. She offered, "I can do this. I can fly in really fast, snap a picture, then get out before she knows what happened."

Alex shook her head, suddenly cautious. "No, mom would REALLY kill me if anyone found out about you. Besides, I need to do this myself.

"What do you want to do, then? Do you want to ring the bell, then when she opens the door, I pull open her clothes and you snap the picture?"

Alex laughed. "I'd like to, but I think we can do better. Dad had this telescope-like camera, and Cookie's house has lots of big windows. It's perfect!"

"But how are you going to get her to show the tattoo?" Kara asked, doubtful. "It's not like you can ask her."

"I don't know. Maybe if we just camp outside, we'll get lucky. Or maybe we'll just have to destroy her computer and camera, like you suggested. Maybe Cookie doesn't back her stuff up," Alex shrugged like that would not be a big deal, then added eagerly, "but I REALLY want a picture of that tattoo!"

X X X

As soon as the girls arrived at home, they said hello to Eliza, then went straight to Kara's room and checked out the chat room.

It was as bad as they had feared.

5:48pm **Watcher** : I hate bullies

5:48pm **Motorhead** : I hope they expel her

5:49pm **PeggySue** : Yeah, I felt kind of flattered at first, I guess, but when we found out it was one of us, it doesn't mean anything at all. I can't believe Alex could be so mean.

5:50pm **Watcher** : it was a bitchy thing to do but least she has good taste in girls

5:52pm **Cookie** : Thanks, I guess, but I never liked being on that list, because I know some other girls were getting hurt. Girls shouldn't be judged on how they look. Alex is just so shallow.

5:54pm **Motorhead** : shes a fuckn bitch

5:55pm **Cookie** : No need to be vulgar. Maybe Alex can learn something from this, that you can't just be mean to people, and maybe we can be friends again.

"That does it!" Alex snapped. She so wanted to yell that Kara thought her head might explode, but Alex kept her voice down to a moderate roar. "The meaner she gets, the nicer she sounds! They make me so … AAHHH!… How can they play so innocent? That does it! Let's go!"

X X X

They left about an hour later, after finding Jeremiah's telescopic camera and figuring out how to work it, which was not as easy as Alex was expecting. Then they dressed in all black clothes like a couple of teenage spies and looked very conspicuous as they slunk down the streets. But then again, teenagers always seem conspicuous, so nobody gave them a second glance.

Alex had been to Cookie's house once before, but she still needed to consult a map to find it.

When they finally arrived, the sky was black with only a half moon lighting the sky, but much of the yard was well lit. They found what appeared to be the perfect hiding place about 30 feet away, which was cloaked in near total darkness. The ground was too far below the windows to photograph anything, so Alex climbed partway up a tree, but she couldn't keep the camera steady, because the telephoto lens was so heavy, so she tried various positions and then tried switching lenses.

While Alex was fumbling with the equipment, Kara was watching the distorted X-ray ghost of Cookie through the walls. She was excited when she saw that Cookie was in the bathroom, apparently taking off her clothes. She nudged Alex, whispering eagerly, "Hurry up!"

Alex, fearing a missed opportunity, pointed the camera up before she was ready, and the telescopic lens detached from the camera and fell ten feet to the ground below. "Damn!" she said way too loud, then whispered, "What did I miss?"

"She's about to take a shower, I think!" Kara said.

"How does that help?" Alex snapped. "I know you can see her, but there are no windows to the bathroom, and we're not taking photos for Playboy, anyway... And now the telescope is broken."

"So we can't take any more pictures?" Kara asked.

"Well, we can still take regular pics," Alex said, as she attached a much smaller lens. "But not from this far away."

"So should I…" Kara started.

"No," Alex insisted. "This is my mess. I'll take the picture."

"OK," Kara sighed, wondering why Alex even brought her along.

"But I do need your eyes," Alex said more softly.

Kara smiled, feeling useful again.

After a quick look around, the girls were satisfied that nobody was watching. They hurried through the lit yard into a shadow beside the house. They were safe from sight there, but the entire ground around the house was lit, so they could not get into any position to take photos. Instead, Kara leaped like a cat onto the shallow roof over the rear porch, which was completely in shadow, then she reached down and helped Alex up beside her.

"This is perfect," Alex whispered with a little more hope now. There were five windows to three different rooms that looked over the roof. Alex scurried with remarkable stealth to the middle room, and Kara nearly floated behind her.

Alex was about to raise her head and look into the window, but Kara whispered an urgent "No!" so Alex stopped.

Kara watched through the exterior wall as Cookie stood only a few feet from her bedroom window. Cookie was wrapped in a towel, but her hair was still dry, so she was probably preparing to take a shower. But she had stopped and was staring towards the window. If Cookie had been standing at the window, she would see Kara and Alex as clear as day even in the shadows, but she would need x-ray vision to see them from where she stood. Instead, Cookie just stood there, as though sensing something, but she did not investigate.

Then, almost at the worst possible time, Alex slipped a few inches on the roof, making a loud scratching sound. She covered her mouth as if to silence any other sound she might make. She closed her eyes, as if that made her less visible.

It would have been fitting had they been caught right then, Kara thought, given that they had already screwed up just about everything to this point.

Yet, miraculously, when Kara looked back through the wall and into the room, Cookie wasn't looking towards them at all, anymore. Instead, she walked across the room, appearing deep in thought, and then she sat on her bed and started laughing at seemingly nothing.

"I think it's OK now," Kara whispered to Alex, then both girls crawled up to peek through separate corners of the window. Alex spied through the camera viewfinder.

Now both girls could see their target clearly, but only for a few seconds, before Cookie stood up from the bed, untied her bathrobe and tossed it aside like a stripper, then sauntered teasingly into the bathroom, never facing the girls, but flashing a magnificent ass in their direction.

Alex pressed the button on the camera to take a picture, but nothing happened.

"Damn!" she whispered in exasperation. "I forgot to turn it on."

"It doesn't matter; she was walking away from us, so you couldn't see the tattoo, anyway," Kara lamented.

"Yeah, " Alex admitted, "but what was I thinking? We were lucky to get this close. If her parents were home, we wouldn't have had any chance at all."

"Yeah, we really suck at being sneaky," Kara said, laughing.

Then Alex joined her laughing. "I should have been taking more notes when I was Cookie's friend. She's the master of sneaky."

They smiled at each other.

"At least we weren't caught," Kara said.

"What is she doing now?"

"Shaving her legs, I think," Kara said while squinting and focusing her vision into the bathroom. Then she looked away with a sheepish grin. "Actually, I think she is shaving somewhere else."

"Eewww!" Alex laughed awkwardly. "I don't like thinking of Cookie naked."

"Yeah," Kara said, suddenly looking playfully sad.

"What?" Alex asked.

"It's nothing," Kara replied, but when Alex's stare demanded an answer, she sighed. "It's just that she has a really nice body. It doesn't seem fair that a mean girl could have such a nice body."

"Oh, I see. Are you fishing for compliments?" Alex asked with mock disapproval.

"No!" Kara insisted, though she absolutely was. "But don't you think she's really pretty?"

Alex shook her head and teased, "What, just because she's got perfect tits and perfect measurements and perfect skin?"

Kara knew Alex was teasing her, but now she was feeling genuinely insecure. "Well, yeah."

"Well, it's your ass I daydream about during math class, not hers,' Alex said, laughing, as she leaned forward to stare Kara in the eyes. They both smiled, as Kara leaned into a kiss. Then Alex added, "And Cookie would be so jealous if she knew what your body can do!"

"Oh, flattery will get you everywhere," Kara said naughtily, as she tried to pull Alex closer.

But then suddenly Kara remembered where they were. Their heads were right in front of the window.

She gasped, then nudged Alex.

Cookie had just come out of the bathroom, and she was looking right at them.

Cookie was wearing this luxuriously white, lacy underwear fit for Victoria's Secret, eliciting Kara's envy again, but more importantly the muppet tattoo was clearly visible above her tiny panties.

Despite the surprise, Alex was ready with the camera, which emitted several electronic clicks and buzzes, as if the state-of-the-art camera was winding through film. But those sound effects meant the camera was working. It felt like a miracle.

Alex glanced at the preview window with a big smile on her face.

Cookie rushed to the window and lifted it open. "What the heck are you doing here? You can't just come here and spy on me! It's an invasion of privacy!"

"Well, you can't just go planting evidence in people's lockers, either." Alex replied triumphantly. "Or snap private pictures of us and threaten to show everyone. Now, I've got a few pictures of my own, Miss Cookie Monster!"

Cookie's mouth dropped in almost a comic expression of indignation. Cookie reached out of the window, as if to shove Kara and Alex off the porch's roof, but the front of the porch was only about 7 feet off the ground, so they simply crawled to the edge and climbed down.

Alex ran ahead of Kara, who laughed and watched as Alex jumped gleefully in the air like a cheerleader for a winning team. Almost forgotten was the disastrous day behind them, or the various punishments that awaited them tomorrow from faculty, students and even Alex's mom. Because for this one moment at least, Alex had beaten Cookie. She never knew how trapped Cookie had made her feel until just then, as the chains broke away. Now she could accept her punishment with grace, knowing that Cookie did not get the best of her in the end.

X X X

Eliza gave them a verbal thrashing when they snuck into the house late at night. A few half truths and outright lies kept her wrath in check at least for today.

They escaped into Kara's bedroom and locked the door, but they did not dare relax yet. They could not relax until they saw what people were thinking.

They clicked on Kara's computer and watched Windows XP boot up. They held hands, feeling suspense. What would they see.

The chat room opened.

They waited for the accusations and insults to start flying.

Five minutes passed, with nothing but beautiful silence.

They lay down, Alex behind Kara, holding her, spooning, while they watched the empty screen stay empty, until their eyelids grew heavy and they fell asleep, until Eliza finally knocked on the door at 12:30 AM and sent Alex into her own room.

X X X

The bus ride to school was stressful the next morning, as the eyes of a few other students snuck looks at the Danvers girls. Kara heard a few whispered comments about Alex and the list.

Stuff like: "Do you think she did it?" "Why would she keep the lists in her locker?" "I think it's terrible." "She's so mean."

Kara relayed the whispers to Alex, and Alex shuddered after each one, mortified. Kara hated her role.

When they arrived at school, the stares and whispers continued, but at least one thing brought a smile to Alex's lips: As soon as they walked through the front door, they saw Cookie and Peggy being escorted into the principal's office.

Cookie glared at Alex with such fury in her eyes, Kara's knees felt weak, but Alex just glared right back until Cookie disappeared from view.

Lena and Eric found them by Alex's locker.

"Shouldn't you get a new lock?" Eric said.

Alex laughed as if it was a joke. "I think it's a little late for that. But you are right."

Lena smiled weakly at Alex. "Well, it looks you won't be taking the fall alone. Cookie and Peg look really pissed."

Alex smiled. "Yeah, they do. I don't know if they will get in any trouble, but at least everyone saw them dragged into the principal's office."

Lena nodded. "Yeah, but if Cookie is involved, everyone is going to assume she orchestrated it."

A glimmer shone in Alex's eyes. She hadn't thought of that. "Really?"

"Yeah. People will wonder, anyway," Lena replied. "But I thought Cookie threatened to expose...you know… if you ever implicated her."

Now Alex smiled brightly.

And Lena gasped: "You didn't!"

Alex nodded.

"Wow, outsmarting Cookie at her own game! Congratulations!" Lena said, impressed, then thought for a moment. "But be careful. This is like a chess game to her. You have to think several moves ahead."

X X X

Kara couldn't pay attention in her first period class yet again. She was going to get a terrible grade for her first semester ever in school, she just knew it. But that didn't feel very important right then.

She was worrying what Alex was going through in her class on the other side of school. Kara squinted her eyes. She could see Alex's shadow if she stared, but the blurry image of her just sitting at her desk didn't answer any of Kara's questions: What were other students saying to Alex? Were they assaulting her with their eyes? What rumors were they telling?

Then, during the second period, the loudspeaker called Alex to the principal's office. Kara watched helplessly as Alex walked to the principal's office, where she sat for ten minutes, then went back to class. Kara was on pins and needles until class ended.

She hurried to meet Alex in the halls before Biology class.

"So?" Kara asked.

Alex stared at the ground. "They called mom."

"Oh," Kara murmured. They knew this was coming, but knowing that didn't soften the blow. "What did she say."

"She was OK at first, until they told her you were on the list," Alex said without much emotion. "I think I'll be grounded for a week."

"Sorry," Kara said.

"No, I'm sorry, It's my own fault," Alex reminded.

"What about the school? Did they suspend you?"

"No," Alex smiled weakly. "Just three hours detention."

"That sucks," Kara said.

"Not so much," Alex said. "Things would have been much worse if I had done it alone."

"So they punished Cookie, too?" Kara asked eagerly.

Alex shook her head. "No, they didn't have any evidence, but they believed us and said they would keep a close eye on her."

They coasted through the rest of the day.

Kara, Lena, Alex and Eric ate lunch with full appetites, and they actually cracked jokes. A few people stared at the Freaky Four and whispered, but the gossip was more about Cookie now, and what she might have done. The Danvers girls could live with that.

Kara paid attention in her remaining classes. She actually raised her hand once to answer a math question, and she learned several words of Spanish.

Before she knew it, the bell rang signalling the end of the school day.

X X X

For the second day in a row, Kara hurried to meet Alex at her locker, and for the second day in a row, they got a horrible surprise.

All of the lockers in the school had four slits around eye level. Kara had wondered what those slits were for. Whatever their intended purpose, they were a great place to deliver messages.

When Alex opened her locker, a folded sheet of paper fell out onto the floor.

They just stared at it for a moment, as if it could not hurt them if they just left it there.

"Fucking Cookie," Alex said through her teeth.

"Has she ever heard of email?" Kara asked sarcastically.

"She thinks paper is more powerful," Alex said, suddenly realizing that Cookie was right.

Kara picked it up.

It was another printout, this time with three photos awkwardly arranged on stock white paper. All three photos showed Kara and Alex expressing their love in a very unfamilial manner. The two photos taken in the cinema were amazingly clear given the dark environment. They must have been taken with a flash, and Kara and Alex were simply too involved with each other to notice anything going on around them. Kara's face was clearly visible in one photo, and Alex's equally visible in the other, as their hands and lips were all over each other. The third photo was taken in the gymnasium. It was taken from only a few feet away, where nobody could possibly have been hiding, so the camera itself must have been hidden. Remotely controlled? On a timer? The quality was crap, and the girls were only identifiable by their distinctive clothing. Kara's shirt was mostly off, so one breast was fully exposed, though it was not much more than a blur.

Alex stared at the page as if mesmerized.

Kara felt too weary to respond right away emotionally, but she knew this was bad. Really bad.

Kara and Alex looked down the hallway. Other students were also at their lockers, preparing to go home. A few were gawking at a similar sheet of paper, and a few others were looking back at them with varying expressions, none of them comforting.

"You should probably destroy that," a voice said from behind them, causing them to jump and turn around. It was Cookie. Her voice had a sweet coating. Her demeanor was casual and friendly. You had to know her to sense the bloodlust behind the exterior. She continued: "You see, just holding those pictures is a crime. My dad is a lawyer, so I picked up little tidbits like that. In fact, just holding that pic is more illegal than what it shows YOU two doing. Messed up, right?"

Alex was shaking, she was so mad. "Don't give me that shit! I know you did this!"

Cookie raised a hand to her chest and protested her innocence. "Oh, no, I was in classes all day. Except, of course, when I was with the principal. You know, that wasn't very nice of you."

"Of me?" Alex lunged forward to strike Cookie, but Kara held her back.

None of this was supposed to happen. Cookie was supposed to hold on to her scandalous pictures, while Kara and Alex held on to the pictures of the tattoo, under the theory of mutually assured destruction. In hindsight, though, it was now clear that Kara and Alex were very much under-armed. The threats were hardly comparable. But now there was no reason to hold their one bomb back. They could not destroy Cookie like she was destroying them, but they could hurt her.

By now an audience had surrounded them.

"You have given us no choice to show everyone the photo of the tattoo," Kara threatened, playing the only hand they had left, hoping to do nothing except to save some face.

Cookie smirked. "Oh, you mean how you invaded my parents property? How you took pictures of me coming out of the bathroom? I guess you didn't know that my dad is a district attorney, so we have a state of the art security system with cameras and monitors all over the place. You never know what kind of creeps might show up. This time, you were the creeps, and we got that all on tape. By now you must know, cameras are not your friend. But go ahead, show your illegally recorded pictures. You see, you only caught me having a little fun."

Cookie then took something out of her pocket and tossed it Alex.

Alex unfolded it. It was a small piece of water-permeable paper containing the image of the Cookie monster eating a cookie. Alex looked up, now knowing their defeat was complete.

Cookie then grabbed the belt of her skirt and let Alex have a peek of as much of her belly as was decent. The skin was completely clear. The tattoo had been temporary, and Cookie had been playing them the whole time.

She leaned forward and whispered so only Alex and Kara could hear. "You are so silly, thinking I would ever give you something you could use against me! But if you ever say anything bad about me again, I'll give the security tapes to my daddy, and your trouble will be doubled."

Then Cookie walked away like a model on the runway, thoroughly enjoying the show.

Students witnessed it all. They watched as Kara and Alex collapsed to their knees and hugged each other for support. Then they looked at the photos of them holding each other intimately.

They would never see the Danvers sisters the same way again.


	11. Manufacturing Truth

Kara and Alex should have walked home. The walk would have taken only a half-hour longer than the bus ride. That is a half hour without the stares, without the whispers and without the fear of somehow making things worse, if that was even possible.

They huddled together in a cocoon at the back of the bus, with their backpacks piled beside them, forming a small wall, as if it could protect them and their privacy.

Not that they had much left to hide. As it turned out, Cookie's gang only distributed around 10 or 15 sheets of photos throughout the school, but word spread like wildfire, and everyone on the bus knew exactly what the pictures showed even before the bus left the curb.

Kara had thought it would be something of a relief, because once the scandal was out there, surely people would quickly have their fill of judgment and then move on. Kara quickly gained an education on how scandals work, as she listened to the noise of whispered gossip. People who never gave them a thought now saw them as a disgrace. People who were suspicious of them already now wondered what else they were hiding. People who hated them now had ammunition.

Kara had always wondered why her Earth family was so fervent about keeping her origins secret, but now she thought she understood. Now she was scared, because if this scandal about two adopted sisters falling in love could cause the uproar she was sensing, she could imagine the uproar if they knew who she really was.

The twenty-six minute ride home felt as long as the seven hours they had spent in classes that day.

X X X

They sighed in relief when they saw that their mom's car was not in the driveway. It meant nothing. Eliza did not leave a message, so she might be home at any minute, but they were grateful for even a few minutes of peace before the firestorm of judgment that was certain to fall upon them.

Instead, they ran into Kara's room to face a different firestorm that awaited them online.

Kara had left her computer on all day, so as soon as they turned on the monitor, they saw that she had three email messages, each with a massive list of recipients, and all with the same header: "Fwd: Twisted sisters"

The first email contained a perfect scan of the unseemly photos Cookie had someone distribute for her.

The second email contained an extremely risqué version, where some horny geek touched up the blurry photo to make it almost pornographic.

The third email simply said: "GROSS!"

Alex collapsed on Kara's bed and buried her face in the pillow.

"I'll check the chat room," Kara said optimistically for Alex's sake, though she had no reason for optimism.

Alex sat up, and they watched the virtual voices pour onto the computer screen.

5:01pm **PeggySue** : It's just so gross, right? I mean, girls with girls OK I guess, but sisters? Eww!

5:01pm **Motorhead** : its fuckn sick

5:02pm **Watcher** : I didn't see the pics but I heard they were hot

5:04pm **Motorhead** : just check your email dude

5:04pm **Cookie** : What? OMG I wish I had NEVER seen them. Whoever posted them is sick, but I guess it proves that the Danvers sisters are really sick, too. She really pissed someone off, and I guess she was desperate because all of her secrets are getting exposed. And to think Alex was my friend! I can't believe you want to see that. I thought you were more classy that that, even with a name like Watcher.

5:04pm **Watcher** : JK

5:06pm **Cookie** : Oh OK. I didn't want to believe the pictures are real, because she always seemed so nice, but Alex showed her true colors when she tried to blackmail me. She said if I wouldn't be her alibi to the principal about that degrading list, she would show everyone a scandalous photo of me, because I was no better than she was, or something like that. She demanded that I say she was with me, and to tell everyone that she couldn't be StudentBody, but I'm no liar.

5:08pm **Watcher** : yeah I heard they have a pic of you naked, bet that was really hot too

5:09pm **Cookie** : They do NOT. I was in underwear and they were spying on me and I can prove it. What is wrong with you, wanting to see that?

5:09pm **Watcher** : was JK

5:11pm **Cookie** : I don't like your jokes. I'm not talking to you anymore.

5:12pm **Watcher** : :(

5:12pm **CrystalGurl** : You need to take this seriously, guys. Taking pics of girls getting dressed and using them for blackmail is NOT COOL!

5:13pm **Watcher** : sorry

5:13pm **Cookie** : Thanks Abby. And sisters making out is totally wrong, too. It's sick

5:15pm **Domino** : They aren't really sisters.

5:16pm **Cookie** : No, adopted sisters are still sisters. They are sick. Incest destroys all families. They need help.

5:18pm **Motorhead** : its like my dad always says about homos, give them an inch and they will take a mile

5:19pm **Watcher** : uh, wow

5:19pm **PeggySue** : I never thought about it like that. My dad says it's a slippery slope.

5:20pm **Domino** : Jeez you guys are the sick ones

5:22pm **PeggySue** : Just ignore him. He has no sense of morality

5:23pm **Cookie** : I don't know. I always sensed something was wrong with them, especially Kara, but I thought Alex could be a good person. If they get help, maybe we can be friends again.

5:25pm **Watcher** : yeah she saved that guy on the bus so she cant be all bad

5:26pm **CrystalGurl** : Maybe she just saved that guy because she thought it would make her look good.

5:28pm **Cookie** : I can't believe that. You don't know her. She was just desperate, and when I wouldn't lie for her, she tried to blackmail me, but I can't believe she is all bad. She was our friend.

5:29pm **CrystalGurl** : Sorry, I'm just mad at her. Maybe her sister is a slut. Maybe it's her fault.

5:30pm **Cookie** : Maybe. I just want to understand.

5:32pm **Motorhead** : i dont want to understand. Sometimes you just need to say noo never. they are the ones who need to understand.

5:32pm **PeggySue** : It must be hard on her mom. We met her once. I can't imagine she knows that her stepkid is corrupting Alex.

5:33pm **Cookie** : Yeah, someone should probably tell her.

5:33pm **Watcher** : omg i know you dont want to talk to me but you should check out student bodys blog. That photo you didnt want for me to see is there.

5:34pm **Cookie** : What?

5:35pm **Watcher** : yeah it says something nasty but you are looking fine. nk

Kara and Alex stared at each other.

"Are they talking about the photo we took?" Kara asked, bewildered. "You didn't post it, did you?"

Alex shook her head. "They must be talking about something else."

Kara looked through the wall into Alex's room, and then gasped. "Your window is broken," she said.

Alarm flashed over Alex's face. She ran into the hall and looked into her bedroom. The window was smashed from the outside, with shards of glass sprinkled over the carpet. The items on her desk were scattered about, and her dad's camera and her laptop were both missing.

Alex then lept back into Kara's room and typed in the URL for the StudentBody blog. At the very top of the blog was the clearest, most provocative photo they took last night at Cookie's house. The little Cookie Monster was photoshopped off of her belly, with a smudge of skin color in it's place, but the real monster that was Cookie was splashed all over the screen. Her mouth was wide open in surprise, and below that was an abundance of perfect skin on a perfect body covered by only the slightest of pink underwear.

Just below the image were the words in a huge font saying, "Cookie flashing the street through her bedroom window. What a slut!"

"This is bad!" Alex said. Her hand was shaking so badly on the touch pad that she struggled to close the blog window and re-enter the chatroom.

5:40pm **PeggySue** : What is her deal? Just because we won't lie for her? Nobody is safe from those Danvers BITCHES!

5:41pm **Motorhead** : I HATE THOSE FUCKN BITCHES!

5:42pm **CrystalGurl** : How could she do this to her friends?

5:45pm **PeggySue** : Cookie? Are you OK?

5:47pm **Cookie** : Yeah, I just don't know what to say. I feel so violated. Please tell all your friends not to look. I look so fat.

5:49pm **PeggySue** : What do you mean? I wish I looked as thin as you!

5:50pm **CrystalGurl** : Absolutely, me too!

5:50pm **Watcher** : I know it doesnt matter to you but you look hella hot

5:51pm **Cookie** : Thanks. Her mom is so nice. She should know how mean her daughters are, but I don't want to upset her.

5:52pm **Watcher** : yeah but she should know

Alex buried her face in her hands, trying to shut out the world for a moment and collect herself.

Kara hugged Alex and whispered, "It's OK. It's OK. We'll figure out who is doing all this and tell Cookie. Then we'll prove to Cookie it's not our fault, even though we did take the picture."

Alex opened her eyes and gaped at Kara in disbelief. "It WAS Cookie, Kara! She arranged everything! And I'm sure it was Linda who broke in. Actually, it might have been some stupid boy she has wrapped around her finger, but I'm sure it was Linda who posted it on the blog. I taught her how to do everything."

Kara furrowed her brow, trying to understand. "Why would she do that? Won't Cookie be mad that she showed everyone those photos?"

Alex rolled her eyes and sighed and explained to her lost sister what was completely clear to her. "We were so stupid when we took those pics. Cookie had figured out our plan once she saw us on her security cameras yesterday. I don't think she really gave a shit if anyone saw that fake tattoo, but she put it on so we would think our plan was working. Then she put on her sexiest underwear and literally posed for us last night!" Alex cursed and the floodgates opened. She angrily tried to rub away the tears, and muttered, "Bullies aren't supposed to be this smart."

Kara struggled to catch up. "You mean she wanted for people to see her almost naked? She seems so embarrassed, though."

Alex rolled her eyes again, but then she looked away. "She fooled me too. I mean, she always dressed conservatively. It was all part of her act, and she was so good at it. I knew of course she was never, you knew, modest or as moral as she pretends to be, but I thought at least she was self-conscious about her body. But she never was. She was just patient. She didn't want people to think she was a slut. But because of us, she could be as slutty as she wants and make everyone oogle her body, make other girls jealous, and still act like some innocent victim. Argh! Lena was right, she's always two steps ahead of everyone else."

Kara looked in Alex's eyes and watched as her feeling morphed as she talked, first burning with anger, then wide-eyed in admiration, and finally growing wet with tears, as she cried out "Oh God! I am so screwed! Everyone at school is going to hate us. Mom is going to kill me!"

Kara tried to hug Alex again, but Alex fought to get away, and she fled into her bedroom. Then Kara heard her cry out, "Ow! Ow! Shit! Shit!"

Kara ran in behind her. Alex was hopping on one foot. Her other foot was raised with a small piece of glass hanging from her sole. Kara couldn't see any blood yet. Alex's face was contorted with pain, though Kara knew that the injury was only icing on the putrid cake they were eating.

Kara lifted Alex and set her on the carpet several feet away from the glass, and then Kara steadied Alex's shaking foot with one hand, and she gently removed the shard of glass with the other. A few drops of crimson trickled from the wound and dripped down Kara's finger, but then the bleeding stopped. Kara kissed Alex's foot, like a parent might kiss a child's wound to make her feel better.

Suddenly, Alex's grabbed Kara's shoulders and pulled Kara up her body until their teary eyes were looking into each other. Alex's legs wrapped around Kara's hips and pulled her in tight.

Kara kissed Alex's tears away and then just kissed her hard and deep on the lips.

Alex laughed when Kara eased up for a moment.

"What's funny?" Kara asked breathlessly.

Then Alex rolled out from under, and Kara let Alex pin her to the ground. The sudden change in position made Kara feel vulnerable.

Alex's eyes burned, and she bared her teeth, sending a shiver down Kara's spine. A wave of confusion and self doubt passed through Kara. Then a ball of shame and guilt formed in Kara's chest, as she realized how much pain Alex was in, and that it was all her fault. If she hadn't invaded Alex's life two years ago, Alex would still have her father. She would have a normal social life. She would have a nice boyfriend. Eliza wouldn't always be needling her. She wouldn't have some alien mucking everything up. She wouldn't have to lie to everyone about everything.

"I'm so sorry," Kara choked out as if she was drowning in her tears.

But her tears were quickly spread over Alex's cheeks, as Alex's lips and breath and hair collapsed on Kara's face. The two girls rolled left and right, trying to merge their tightly pressed bodies together like matching puzzle pieces, yet never parting their lips for more than a moment Their hands fumbled over each other's clothing, until their clothes felt like polyester straight jackets, and Alex finally decided that Kara's blouse had to go. She popped the first button loose and waited for Kara's approval. Kara likewise loosened Alex's collar. Alex smiled eagerly, as she kneeled over Kara and lifted her own shirt over her head and tossed it aside.

As soon as the shirt was in the air, Alex was kneeling half-in/half-out of her bedroom doorway, looking down the hallway, where Eliza was standing open-mouthed, transfixed and stiff as a board.

Neither mother nor daughters made a move for several seconds, when Eliza finally asked firmly what was plainly obvious: "What are you doing?"

X X X

How could this have even been a surprise, Kara would wonder later. How could Kara not have heard their mom's car parking and the front door opening? They knew their mom could be home at any minute, yet they were making out with their bodies half in Alex's room, and half in the hallway, and the only thing they had to be thankful for was that they still had most of their clothes on.

Maybe they had just given up trying to hide it. After all, Cookie was hinting oh so strongly that she would tell their mother every poisonous secret. Cookie wasn't even using it as a threat. Maybe without even thinking, they had decided to let Eliza know on their own terms and deny Cookie that victory. Obviously a heart-to-heart conversation would have been a better choice than the show they were putting on, but they would have lost their nerve before giving a prepared confession. Or maybe they were just that stupid. In either case, they had let their passion take over and Eliza saw the truth, clearly and undeniably.

Alex climbed off of Kara and stepped back into the security of her bedroom, but she stopped backtracking when she remembered the glass on the floor. She crossed her arms in front of her bra. She couldn't meet her mother's eyes, and she didn't even consider answering Eliza's question, which felt more like an accusation.

Kara sat up. She watched Alex backing away, then she looked at Eliza, who stared right back, demanding an answer from one of them.

"I am in love with Alex," Kara finally decided to confess unashamedly what Eliza must now already know with inescapable clarity. Kara stood up and took Alex's hand. "And she is in love with me."

Then nobody spoke for what felt like an hour, as mother and daughters confronted each other as if for the first time, but the ball was now in Eliza's court, and she was expressing her surprise with surprising restraint and contemplation.

Alex squeezed Kara's hand tightly. They pressed against each other. They fortified each other's strength, as they awaited Eliza's inevitable judgement, which was taking so long coming that Kara felt certain that something was wrong. Eliza was always ready with a devastating criticism or at least a subtle passive-aggressive rebuke, and Eliza had so much fuel added to the fire today-first finding out about the scandal at their school, and now about the scandal in their home, right under her nose.

Finally, Eliza stepped forward with determination in her eyes. To stare them down? To slap them?

Eliza put her hands on Kara's shoulder and pulled her close, as if to hug her, but she didn't wrap her arms around the young woman. She just held Kara's body about a foot away and sniffed the air like a dog.

Then Eliza asked firmly, "When did you stop wearing the perfume?"

Kara was speechless. Eliza was talking about that disgusting concoction she had created to curb the effect of Kara's pheromones. Kara had phased out using that "perfume" over a few days. Nobody noticed and she had even forgotten about it herself.

Alex stared at Kara in amazement.

"Well?" insisted their mom.

"I don't know," Kara said, though she remembered exactly when. She had completely stopped nine days ago, but she was afraid to say that. "Just a couple of days."

Eliza shook her head, doubtful. Had she suspected something before? She was disappointed in Kara. "I thought I was clear about this. Without that perfume, your Kryptonian body has a subliminal effect on the rest of us. It is a power you don't feel like you have, and it isn't obvious to people, and that makes it even more dangerous than something like flying or strength, because everyone can see it when you use those powers."

Kara could see where this was going. She shook her head and insisted, "Those pheromone things have nothing to do with Alex and me. I've always been in love with her."

Eliza hugged Kara and sighed sympathetically, saying, "But what about Alex? She would never do something like this before. Her emotions are all confused. She has always liked boys, always got good grades in school and never got in trouble. Now her grades are slipping, and I get a call from the principal about crazy behavior, and now I find you two … well, starting something on the floor. Don't you see what is happening here?"

Kara let her adoptive mother hug her, but Kara wasn't buying it for a second. She couldn't. "But we are in love!" Kara pleaded desperately, "Alex tell her!"

But Alex was silent. She looked back at Kara, bewildered, as though waking from a dream. Kara could see that Alex was doubting. Their mother's words infected her mind, as if they could transform reality. The feelings and moments they had shared, and that were the only reality Kara believed in or wanted, were in danger.

No! Kara's mind and heart screamed, drowning out everything else. Tears flowed from Kara's eyes like a teen girl in an anime. "Please Alex," she cried out as though her very essense was dying, "I love you."

Eliza pulled the distraught girl in tight, forcing Kara's tears to disappear into her sweater like a sponge. "It's OK, Kara. You made a mistake, but we do love you. I know this must be hard for you, and maybe you feel like by wearing that perfume, and by not using your powers, you are hiding who you are. But what is important about us is who we are inside. We are trying to protect you from other people, but we do need to take some steps to protect ourselves from you, too. So please help us help you, and use the perfume."

Alex watched skeptically, caught in some kind of limbo of understanding. Kara's heart grasped at that doubt. Eliza's had rocketed Alex back to where she was before. A feeling lost in a sterile landscape. But Alex couldn't have forgotten their love so easily. She couldn't have! Their love was real. It was not some biological reaction to alien chemicals. It had to be more than that!

Eliza continued trying to fix the situation with words. "I'll make a few adjustments to the perfume recipe, if you don't like the scent. It was my first attempt at making anything like this, and I'm sure I can do better. For now, I don't want you girls hanging around in each other's rooms, until the effect of her pheromones wear off. Just for a few days."

Eliza waved Alex to join them in a group hug. Alex hesitated but then put her arms around both Kara and Eliza.

Alex showed no passion towards Kara. She showed only forgiveness and love for … her sister. And that broke Kara's heart.

Until Alex's hand found Kara's hand, out of Eliza's view. Her hand spoke to Kara in the secret language of love they had developed on the bus all of those trips back and forth from school, confirming that they were soulmates. And Kara realized that with that knowledge, nothing else mattered to her. Not what people at school thought of her. Not what Eliza thought. Nothing.

Tears streamed down Kara's eyes. She wanted to push Eliza aside and disappear into Alex, but she would settle for this, for now.

They group hugged for a moment longer, when Eliza suddenly asked, "Oh, my! Who broke the window?"

The girls stared at each other, silently asking each other what to do. They could tell the truth this time: someone at school broke in and stole Alex's computer. Easy. Their mom would believe it. But the truth was complicated, and who knew where talking about that would lead, so they would probably lie instead.

Alex spoke up, knowing that she would have to lie for the both of them.


	12. Breaking All of the Eggs

Eliza insisted on having a family meal at the dinner table. They never ate dinner at the table. Sometimes Eliza tried to make it happen, yet inevitably the table would disburse before dessert, and Kara would be eating her second helping of food in the living room, watching TV, or in her bedroom whenever the night went badly. Today was shaping up to be one of those nights.

Eliza set the mood with a crooked smile, saying "We don't do this often enough, not since Jeremiah was here," and that slammed the door on either girl escaping.

She wanted to talk to Alex. Kara was right there, too, and Eliza would smile at Kara occasionally, but she really only talked to Alex, and only with very carefully chosen words seeking answers very different from what the words would suggest. Eliza asked how Alex was doing in her classes. She asked if Alex still wanted to learn to drive. She reminisced about a time when she, Jeremiah and Alex went to a science museum, and they had the best time of their lives. She asked Alex if there were any boys she liked at school.

"Oh my God, Mom!" Alex finally blurted out while rolling her eyes. "We were just messing around! It was a spur of the moment kind of thing. It didn't mean anything! I mean, it was just like you said: Chemicals and stuff."

Alex then stormed into her bedroom, leaving Eliza alone with Kara.

Eliza didn't have much interest in talking to Kara that night, which was good because Kara was distracted. She was poking at her broccoli with a fork, worrying about what Alex had said: Means nothing. Chemicals and stuff.

Kara sat alone on her bed for the next couple of hours, not wanting to do or think about anything. She didn't care what the bullies were saying about them in the chatroom. She just sat still until it was time to go to sleep, and then she cuddled at her usual place on the bed, near the hole in the wall.

Shortly after, Alex settled on the other side.

"I love you," Kara declared, though it sounded like a desperate plea for reassurance.

"I love you, too," Alex replied, matter-of-factly, and not as reassuringly as Kara had hoped for.

"Are you mad?" Kara asked.

"No," Alex replied quickly, but without any emotion, as if the question was irrelevant.

"Are you sure?"

"It's fine, Kara," Alex insisted. "You forgave me for what I did to you; how could I not forgive you for this?"

Kara felt her heart fall. Did their love suddenly sink to the level of "now we are even?" What did Kara do that was wrong? All she had done was be herself, but maybe who she was was the problem. How could she think otherwise? She was not allowed to use her powers. Her family always forced her to stay hidden and not stand out in any way. No wonder it was so easy for her to believe she was ugly and worthless.

"I wish I could hold you," Kara lamented.

Alex sighed. "Maybe we should lay low for a few days until everybody cools off."

Words got stuck in Kara's throat. She would rather face all of the cruelty of Cookie's gang and their mother's disapproval than Alex's cold shoulder. Kara didn't know what to say, and Alex didn't take the lead in the conversation, so they didn't talk. But they didn't move away from the pencil sized hole, either. Kara listened to Alex breathe gently and imagined Alex was whispering sweet nothings into her ear. She hugged the pillow tight, as though she was holding Alex, and occasionally slipped into a restless state between sleep and consciousness.

X X X

Twice during the night, Kara was startled completely awake when Eliza snuck a peek into their bedrooms, like a prison guard checking in on the inmates.

X X X

The next morning was just like the old days, before they were lovers. Kara hoped once they were out of the house, away from their mom, Alex would warm up to her again. Alex held her hand again on the bus. And that was all. Alex pretended they were just sisters, like they had pretended for so long before. You can't put that genie back into the bottle! Kara thought. But Alex was trying her best to do just that.

When they went their separate ways to their first period classes, Kara paused at her locker and stared at her belongings. The contents of her locker had not changed since the beginning of the school year. A pile of books at the bottom. A small box with pencils and pens and a calculator on the shelf on top. A spare sweater was folded on the middle shelf, along with a pair of sneakers. Her life had been tossed around like violent winds, but her locker was completely unaffected.

She wanted to break the top shelf and let the small stuff scatter through her locker. She pressed down on the shelf until it bent under the pressure, but she couldn't bring herself to cross that line.

Kara started to cry. She didn't know why all the pain hit her so hard just then.

A shy boy from her biology class was watching her nervously from down the hall. Kara pretended he wasn't there. She wanted to shout out to him to mind his own business, but when he snuck away, she found herself wishing he had stayed.

X X X

Two hours later, biology class was being held at the science lab, and Kara saw the same boy again. Had he always been attending her biology class? Kara was embarrassed, because she spent so much of her day with blinders on, trying not to see or hear the people around her. The boy seemed like he wanted to say something, but he kept quiet. Kara smiled at him politely.

A good cry had helped, and Kara was feeling better now. She didn't care one bit about English Lit or American History, but somehow two hours of teachers spewing monotonous specs of useless information at catatonic students was familiar and comforting.

All of her life seemed to be in a tensely controlled chaos.

But now Kara could feel some relief, because spending time with Lena and Eric had always made her feel better. Kara was in love with Alex, but Lena and Eric had become her other, best friends, and Kara always felt free to be herself with them.

Kara wasn't sure why the class was meeting at the lab today. It was their first time there, and Kara guessed that the biology teacher wanted for the students to feel at home in the lab, because on Monday they would each present group projects there on a comparative anatomy project.

Kara didn't see Lena at first, but Eric was standing at the far corner talking to a stunning lavender haired girl wearing an oversized tie-dye t-shirt that almost fell below her black shorts. About half of the class was checking her out and whispering about her.

Kara approached them, then she hesitated as recognition settled in.

"Lena?" Kara asked in amazement.

"Hi Kara," Lena said with a big smile. "I know, it's a bit much."

Kara shook her head. "No, no, I like it. But I was just getting used to you as a blonde."

Lena smiled. "I know, I can't seem to settle on a look. It's like whenever I feel anxious, I try to change who I am. That's what my therapist says, but it makes me feel good."

"I love it!" Kara said with admiration as much for her attitude as for new look.

"Thanks," Lena said, blushing, then she leaned in close so only Kara and Eric could hear, "and I love how it makes the boys think."

Eric looked away as if he wasn't paying attention. Maybe he felt awkward being included in this girl talk. Or maybe he didn't enjoy hear that Lena was turned on by other boys admiring her.

Kara could hear the other girls whispering about Lena's new look. Some gossiped in admiration, while others slut-shamed Lena jealously, though nowhere near as harshly as they had slut-shamed Alex and herself the past few days. Kara could not hear any whispers among the boys. She caught a few glances, but mostly they paid Lena no mind.

"I think you look beautiful," Kara whispered, "but I don't think the boys even noticed."

Lena snickered at Kara's naivete . "Oh they've noticed. The good ones admire quietly, but you should hear what they are thinking!"

"What are they thinking?" Kara whispered, then looked away, embarrassed she even asked.

Lena looked at the ceiling innocently, then whispered so quietly that she knew only Kara could hear. "Well, Carl near the door is having love at first sight that will last the rest of today, most likely. David over there is totally into those sexy anime they never show on TV, and he's imagining me covered in tentacles. And the teacher … well, I'll let him keep his dignity, because he feels guilty about what he imagines doing... and so he should."

Kara's mouth dropped, then she muttered, "That's awful!"

Lena shrugged, then said under her breath. "That's typical. Boys have dirtier minds than you can imagine. Girls aren't much better. I guess I'm just used to it. I almost feel insulted if a boy walks by me without a reaction in his pants."

"Eww," Kara winced, but it was all pretense.

Lena laughed, teasing. "Oh yeah, I forgot you aren't into guys."

"It's not that," Kara objected. "It's just so … what's the word?"

"Dehumanizing?" Lena suggested. "I don't know. I think daydreaming about sex is about as human as people get. As long as boys keep it on the fantasy level and keep their hands and judgements to themselves, I say whatever floats their boat, and it's actually fun being a part of their fantasies. Yeah sometimes, after seeing what is on their minds like all day long, I can't imagine being intimate with any of those slobbering animals."

Eric sighed uncomfortably.

"Except for you, lover boy," Lena teased and kissed him on the cheek. "It's so refreshing having friends that have to tell me what they are thinking."

"It must be horrible, knowing what people think about you all the time," Kara said, then ironically asked: "What do they think about me?"

"You mean because of what happened yesterday and all that shit?" Lena asked, feeling uncomfortable now, having been put on the spot.

"Yeah. I can hear some people talking, and it feels like they hate me."

"It's not as bad as you think," Lena said. "Lots of people used to think you were a prude and don't know what to think now. But you and Alex have entered the public consciousness, or whatever you call it. Of course there are some really mean kids who are just looking for an excuse to hate everyone, and some other guys get caught up in that, but when they are alone, most of 'em are fascinated by you and Alex. Some are even jealous."

"Really?" Kara laughed.

"Yeah. I hear a bunch of 'em bitching about what you have done, and they feel like they have to disapprove, but they live so much of their lives fantasizing, and they get a thrill seeing people actually break the rules and refuse to feel ashamed. I've seen this before. You are becoming local celebrities, and pretty soon there will be team Kara/Alex and team Cookie. Cookie has made sure of that by starting all kinds of rumors. She did it to me last year, so I know it sucks, but if you guys can keep your head high and not care what they think, I think you'll find being a celeb isn't all bad."

"Tell that to my mom," Kara whispered.

The teacher stepped up to the blackboard in the front of the room, and nearly shouted, "OK, everyone settle down. Let me have your attention. Every group find a table. That will be your home until Tuesday."

Kara, Lena and Eric barely had to move, but other people took their time, and three stragglers without a group eventually, reluctantly conceded to form the last group.

That shy boy was a member of that new group, and he looked over at Kara's group with a sense of longing. Kara didn't know anything about this boy, and she wasn't sure that she wanted to, but he acted like he knew her. That's when Kara understood what Lena meant about celebrities. A lot of people suddenly seemed to think they knew her at least a little.

The teacher clapped his hands. "OK, perfect. We have seven groups, and we have seven biological systems that we've covered in class: digestive, excretory, respiratory, circulatory, nervous, locomotion and reproductive. I've written them all down on scraps of paper and put them in this pot, and I want you all to come up here and pick a topic."

Lena smiled mischievously and whispered in Kara's ear, "Pick sex, pretty please!"

Kara smiled back, feeling a little mischievously herself at the chance to show off one of her powers.

Their group was in the back of the classroom, but other groups paused a moment to decide who would pick for that group, so Kara ended up picking first. It was trickier than she expected to find "reproduction" in a pile of folded scraps of paper through a wooden pot.

"Just pick one," the teacher demanded.

Then Kara saw it and pulled it out and handed it to the teacher.

He opened the scrap and read it out loud. Then he looked over at Lena. "Oh, no, not that one. Try again."

"No!" Lena insisted, then she lied, "we picked it fair and square."

"Alright, since you are so enthusiastic, you can present first on Monday," the teacher relented with a vengeance. "But don't think I've forgotten what you did with it last year. This year I want a serious comparison between human reproduction and that of invertebrates. And I want Eric to present it."

"Oh," Lena pouted upon hearing the full assignment, but then she smiled playfully, "Sure. Completely serious."

A look of dread flashed across the teacher's face before he held the pot in front of the next lottery participant.

Kara walked back to her group and whispered eagerly, "What did you do last year?"

"Probably too much," Lena replied softly, laughing at the memory, then she continued with a naughty side Kara had not seen before: "Mr. Tight Ass is just so serious about sex ed shit, when he's not moralizing. So it's up to us to make sex fun again. So that's what I did, and that's what we're going to do again. Is that ok? But invertebrates? Eww. Oh well, we'll come up with something fun."

"And you want ME to make it fun?" Eric asked in nervous disbelief.

"Yeah right," Lena nudged him with her elbow, but she knew this would be a challenge. Eric appreciated a good joke, but he could never tell one without bombing. "No, we'll set the mood, and you just go with it and be yourself, and they won't know what hit them."

That was a curious thing to say, but Lena didn't explain, so Kara just laughed.

They remained completely unserious for the rest of the class, but they did not come up with any way to sabotage the anatomy project they needed to present on Monday without completely sabotaging all of their grades in the process.

Lena did not seem worried. "We have all weekend to come up with something."

X X X

After class, they walked directly from the lab to the cafeteria, where Alex was already waiting for them at their usual table.

The room hushed, as talk turned to whispers when the Danvers girls reunited at their table. Kara tried to give Alex a hug, but Alex downgraded it to holding hands. "Be patient," she said.

"OK," Kara acquiesced.

Lena watched them soberly, while Eric feigned ignorance of what was going on around them, as he often did, and casually ate his food.

"How have you been today," Alex asked Kara quietly but with real concern.

"I was scared this morning," Kara replied, " but Lena made me feel much better when we got together in biology."

Alex smiled, not so much because of Kara's response. She was just happy they were together again.

Just then Alex's cell phone buzzed in her pocket, and Alex groaned. "Oh my God, mom!" Alex stood up and walked behind a pillar, embarrassed to be called by Eliza right then.

Kara heard part of the conversation, but it sounded too personal, and like something they wouldn't want for her to hear. Kara tried not to listen, but it was hard because they were talking about her. Kara didn't want to hear. She never felt more like an alien than she felt right then.

Lena touched her hand, to remind her that she was not alone.

Alex finally shut the flip phone and returned to the table. Her eyes flashed jealousy upon seeing Lena's and Kara's hands touching, but then she just looked sad. She wiped a tear from her eye and her voice was choking as she gave the lame excuse, "I gotta go. I forgot about something. I'll see you at the bus. I love..."

Alex couldn't finish the last sentence as she hurried out of the cafeteria, leaving Kara hanging.

Lena gazed sympathetically at Kara and touched her hand again.

"Why?" Kara asked.

It seemed like a universal question. It was probably also rhetorical.

But after thinking about it for a long moment, Lena tried to answer it anyway.

"Alex loves you, she really does," Lena said, "But she doesn't know how to do the right thing for both you and your mom."

"I know," Kara nodded. "I heard what they were saying. Our mom blames Alex for everything, even when it's my fault."

Lena raised an eyebrow. Up until now, Lena had been the light of Kara's day, making a bad day seem so much better, but now Lena was deadly serious and said as clearly as she could: "Yeah, maybe you heard what they were SAYING. Remember, they KNOW you can hear them. But there are thoughts behind your mom's words, and Alex understands all of that. Your mom sounds more uptight than even Mr. Tight Ass. She's not just afraid of your pheromones, if that is even a real thing. She's afraid that your alien sexuality will mess up your family and reputation, and that having a teenaged alien daughter could be total chaos. Your mom is not trying to protect you as much as she's trying to hide you."

"She's not my mom," Kara spat, as shame turned to anger.

"Yeah," Lena agreed with the sentiment. "She's being kind of a bitch."

X X X

Kara spent much of the rest of the day being angry at Alex, too, for not standing up to her mother and letting Eliza treat Kara as a problem rather than as a daughter.

But slowly it dawned on Kara that she wasn't being completely fair. Kara had never quite thought of Eliza as her mother, either. Yes, Kara acted the part of dutiful daughter, and she did appreciate everything the Danvers had given up to help raise her. But Eliza could never replace or even compare to Alura, her real mother, in Kara's heart.

Back on Krypton, Kara had never questioned Alura. She certainly had never disobeyed Alura. Kara had never loved anyone more than her mother until Alex came along.

Eliza was Alex's real mom, and even though Alex sometimes acted like a rebellious teen when she was with Kara, the bond between mother and daughter must have been stronger than Kara had ever realized.

When Kara met Alex again at the end of the school day in the crowded hallway near the lockers, Alex again shied away from Kara's hug.

"I love you," Kara whispered.

"Please Kara!" Alex replied and walked away with tears forming in her eyes.

Kara followed behind despondently while trying to ignore the flagrant stares of curious students and the flash of the camera of an amateur paparazzi, trying to capture the latest from the twisted sisters.

X X X

Kara hoped that when she and Alex stepped off the bus at home, maybe they could talk and feel honestly with each other, but Eliza was predictably standing outside the house to meet them.

Alex didn't say a word. She walked right by Eliza into her bedroom. She would stay in there all night even with no computer to distract her.

Kara tried to follow suit and escape into her own room, but Eliza stopped her.

"I had these made for you, Kara," she said, as she handed Kara a pair of glasses, to replace the pair she had burned. "They say these are fashionable, but what do I know? But the tint should help block x-rays and make fitting in a little easier."

"Thanks mom," Kara forced herself to say as she tried the glasses on. Sure enough, she could barely see into Eliza's purse, from which the woman was pulling out a small jar.

"And here is some new perfume. I think you'll like this much better." She opened up the jar for Kara to smell. "Kind of smells like strawberries, doesn't it?"

It smelled more like cough syrup, but Kara took the jar and muttered dejectedly,"It smells fine, thanks."

Eliza smiled encouragingly, as she let Kara go into the house, where she disappeared into her room.

One second later, Kara turned on her computer monitor. The computer was already logged into the chatroom, where the conversation had never ended since yesterday morning.

Kara noticed that the chat screen was scrolled up from the bottom, which meant that Eliza had been spying on the conversation. Kara merely shrugged off the invasion to her privacy as though it didn't matter.

The first messages from today were just coming in now, and Kara settled in for a rocky ride:

4:31PM **Watcher:** anyone here?

4:39PM **PeggySue:** Yeah, I'm here. Cookie?

4:41PM **Cookie** : Yeah, ready for tonight?

6:44PM **PeggySue** : Yeah, party central at your place at 9 PM, right?

6:47PM **Cookie** : Yep, dad is already gone.

6:48PM **Watcher:** cant wait to see your home. Do you always walk around in pink underwear?

6:49PM **Cookie** : Watch it, Watcher. If you weren't bringing the refreshments, I might even be offended.

6:50PM **Watcher** : :*)

Kara waited about fifteen minutes, totally prepared for another shocker designed to destroy Kara and her sister, but the messages stopped. Was that this? She checked the internet connection and even typed a message of her own under "Guest 1", asking if anyone was out there, waited again, but the screensaver kicked in before anyone might even have responded.

Kara turned off the monitor and sat on her bed, feeling lonely and ignored, and then she felt bad just for feeling bad.

Shouldn't she be happy that people like Cookie and the bullies were losing interest? Shouldn't she feel better knowing that once people stopped talking about the "twisted sisters", maybe she could be with Alex again in every way they both wanted to be together?

But no, it didn't make her any happier. In fact, it made her more depressed. She wished that Lena was there to explain to her why. Lena seemed to know her better than she knew herself.

Kara unplugged the computer and monitor and carried them into the hall and knocked on Alex's door.

Alex answered, appearing just as sad and lonely as Kara felt.

"Do you want to use the computer for a while?" Kara asked. "I'm done with it."

Alex glanced at Eliza, who was watching from the living room. Alex nodded to Kara and replied. "Thanks."

The girls smiled a genuine smile, just happy for this one moment, before Eliza asked what was going on, driving them back into their respective rooms.

X X X

Saturday was a disaster. Eliza kept sending Alex to town for chores, making sure the girls didn't spend any time together.

Kara kept checking the chatroom. She couldn't help herself. But still nobody was talking about her or Alex or anything except the stupid party where apparently Cookie and Watcher had become an item.

Kara was feeling so distraught and confused about her own feelings that she actually begged for anyone in the chatroom to just talk with her.

Fortunately, Eric had checked the site. He told Lena, and Lena called Kara.

"There is nothing wrong with you," Lena consoled Kara over the phone. "I'm not surprised you feel this way. The biggest problem isn't that people are saying mean things about you, or even if they are saying kind things about you, or if they are saying nothing at all. No, the problem really is that people are defining you, and you don't feel you have any part of that. And that's not just online. I know it really must suck when your mom tries to make you into someone you are not. My point is that people have never let you have any say about who you wanted to be. They never let you make your own mistakes while you try to figure that out."

"I guess," Kara said. "But how do I figure myself out?" She wasn't used to thinking for herself.

"Just act naturally. Don't be ashamed, just feel. Just do something because it's fun."

"But Eliza won't let me do what I really want to do," Kara complained, "and she won't let Alex, either."

"Alex has to make her own decisions," Lena said, "and you need to make yours, regardless of what anyone else wants you to do. I know they love you and want to keep you safe, but don't let love trap you. Real love will not abandon you."

X X X

Kara's decision on Sunday was to vegetate in the living room and watch TV most of the day.

She watched soap operas and Hollywood gossip shows to see how the superstars deal with losing their lives to the fickle media.

One thing Kara could never quite get a handle on in Earth society how two almost identical things could cause either pride or shame, especially when it came to sexual things or nudity. On Krypton, the rules were much clearer and often the opposite of what they were on Earth.

Kara was especially amused by two similar reports she saw while channel surfing, where in both cases a male celebrity was caught courting a much younger woman. In one story, the reporters gushed over the pairing, perhaps because both movie actors were well known. In the other case, a game show host was engaged to poor college student he had met at a party over the summer. The reporters attacked his judgment ruthlessly, and accused her of being a gold-digger.

Kara struggled to understand why one couple was praised and another couple scandalized for almost the same thing.

That's when Kara realized that what the reporters and society objected to had less to do with the guilt of any celebrity and much more to do with whatever story they wanted to tell. In Kara's eyes, the scandalized couple looked much more in love than the two actors, but that was not what the news stories wanted for her to think.

Finally, Kara felt enlightened. Lena was right. The scandals Kara and Alex were enduring didn't have much to do with photos or revelations or even that they were sisters practicing pseudo-incest. What was really hurting them was that they were letting Cookie and Eliza and a barrage of gossip tell their story rather than tell the story themselves.

X X X

Later that night, Kara wanted to share her new enthusiasm with Alex, so she whispered through the hole in the wall when they settled down to sleep.

She explained that they needed to reject everything and everyone who was trying to keep them apart. Alex didn't seem to understand what Kara was saying, so Kara tried to repeat what Lena had told her, because Lena had said it so well.

"Maybe you should be with Lena," Alex replied very seriously and very somberly, almost as though she was giving up on life. "She's such a good friend to you, and I just keep fucking everything up."

"But I love you," Kara pleaded.

Alex hesitated. "I love you, too. But please, Kara, don't make this hard."

They didn't talk after that. Kara felt angry and alone. She felt like everyone was building a cage around her and she just wanted to break out. Neither girl slept well that night.

X X X

The next morning, Kara needed to go to school early, because Lena still had no idea what they would do for their comparative anatomy presentation, and she really wanted to brainstorm, so she had asked Kara to go over it before first period.

Eliza enthusiastically offered to drive Kara, since that would keep her two daughters away from each other that morning.

When morning arrived, Kara's alarm went off, but she was still fast asleep. Kara was a very heavy sleeper.

Finally, Kara stumbled out of bed, then chowed down a cinnamon roll that was oozing with sugary goo.

"Hurry!" Eliza insisted, even though there was no real deadline they needed to make.

Kara hurried into her sexiest blouse and skirt combo with a cardigan unbuttoned at the top, and she hopped towards the car while slipping into her shoes.

"Are you going to do a presentation in THAT?" Eliza asked disapprovingly. "It's perfectly clear that you aren't wearing a bra."

"Jeez, mom, I never wear a bra," Kara said, rolling her eyes. That was half true.

Eliza noticed that Kara had called her mom, which Kara usually avoided, so Eliza's attitude softened. "Well, OK, but just keep the sweater closed. Did you put on that new perfume? I don't smell it."

Kara opened her purse and flashed the jar. "Right here." She dabbed her finger in it and pretended to rub the foul substance on her neck, but she was really rubbing it into the seat belt.

Eliza nodded and started the engine.

Kara sighed as the car pulled out of the driveway, because she realized she wasn't wearing any panties, and she really didn't want to have to mention that.

When they arrived at the school, Lena and Eric were waiting inside the front door.

Kara was removing her glasses, when she stepped inside, and she nearly tripped on the top step. Lena's eyes opened wide.

Lena urged Kara and Eric quickly to the lab, and she immediately closed the door.

As soon as the door clicked shut, Lena looked Kara straight in the eye and asked, "Are you wearing any underwear?"

Eric looked down and even lowered his head to get a better look.

Kara pushed her skirt down with her hand and replied frantically, "No, I forgot."

Lena glared at her skeptically. "You forgot your panties with a micro skirt that barely covers your ass?"

"Yeah," Kara was blushing, and suddenly realized that she was lying. "I didn't think it would be that obvious." That was a lie, too.

Lena shrugged. "No, it wasn't obvious, but when you stumbled on the steps, I could feel something in you that I've felt in a lot of girls the past two weeks since Britney Spears and Paris Hilton were caught not wearing panties. Did you hear about that?"

Kara's blush was feeling permanent now. Lena was right: Kara was guilty as charged. She must have seen those stories four times while she was watching the gossip shows yesterday.

"You wanted to be caught!" Lena said joyfully, as she looked into Kara's eyes.

Kara protested half-heartedly. "On Krypton, nudity is no big deal."

"Right..." Lena said sarcastically. "So that's why you're blushing as bright as an apple. Here on Earth, we tease the imagination until nudity becomes a big deal... Even to you."

Kara didn't know what to say. Lena seemed to know Kara's feelings better than Kara herself. Kara covered her face so Lena couldn't read her expression anymore.

Lena surprised Kara by lifting Kara skirt without warning, so both she and Eric could get a good look. Kara didn't resist. She bit her lip and relented.

"Nice!" Lena critiqued, then noted, "You don't seem to mind people seeing, and you even shaved it for good measure."

"I didn't shave it," Kara explained, as she pushed Lena's hand away. "Razors don't really work for me. People on my planet don't usually have body hair."

"Convenient," Lena noted with a smile.

"Sorry," Kara looked away. "I must seem so weird."

"Hardly!" Lena countered. "Like I've said, lots of girls are skipping their panties since Britney and Paris led the way, and they usually think they are the only girls doing it. It's kind of a fad, and I even tried it once. You are MUCH braver, though, doing it with such a short skirt. You are my new hero."

"Hero?" Kara laughed. She thought that she might be a hero some day, but never for something like that. "No way, but thank you for not calling me a slut, at least."

Lena pointed her finger at Kara angrily. "I hate that word, and never think of yourself that way. I was disgusted how everyone reported it when a photographer published Britney's private parts, like she was stupid and should be ashamed of herself, just because she likes to tease a little for people who like to be teased. The only people who saw Britney's kitty were people who really wanted to see it."

"That's true," Kara agreed.

"You are my hero," Lena continued, "because everyone tried to make you feel ugly and ashamed of your hot bod. Instead, you came here today showing it off as much as legally allowed."

Kara flash-lifted her skirt casually. "Is this legal?"

Lena and Eric glanced at each other, shrugging, and Eric offered, "I don't see why not if nobody is complaining and nobody is taking pictures."

Lena nodded.

Then everyone was quiet for a moment.

Eric swallowed. "Do I have to say it?" he asked, frustrated that Lena couldn't read his mind.

"Please do," Kara laughed self-consciously, knowing that Eric had something sexual in mind.

Lena jumped in. "I think Eric means that maybe we have what we were missing to spice up our presentation on the reproductive system."

Kara raised her hand in a hesitating stop sign. "Uh, OK, sure, I'm feeling pretty naughty right now, but I don't want to expose myself to the entire class! Do I?"

"No, not exactly expose," Lena began thoughtfully, "but how do you feel about teasing the entire class?"

Kara shook her head, but that thought tickled her in ways she thought only Alex could tickle her, ways she could barely resist. She had never believed she could tease people that way, but the idea that she could thrilled her.

Lena took Kara's silence as interest, and she seemed pretty tickled herself. "Eric and I have already gone over the presentation this weekend. If we do it the way we practiced, we'll all probably get an A, and we'll succeed in making sexual anatomy criminally boring."

"Or," she continued tantalizingly, "if you are feeling as naughty as I think you are, I'm sure between all three of us, we can really shake the class up. They won't know what hit them, but I guarantee everyone will feel just as tickled as we are all feeling right now."

Kara laughed with the last of her restraint gone. "OK, let's do this."

X X X

Kara's anticipation built up so high over periods one and two that she had to cool down in the lady's room, not feeling very lady-like. She imagined what Alex would say. She imagined what Eliza would say. She imagined what they would say in the chatroom, and if they were caught, she imagined what the faculty would say. She imagined what her real mom would have said. But none of that imagining changed her mind. People would say all sorts of things, and they might all be right. They wanted to protect Kara from herself, but Kara didn't want to be protected from herself. The fact of the matter is that Kara wanted to do this, maybe even because it was breaking the rules. She wouldn't be hurting anyone. If Lena was right, she would even make people happier just by sharing a little of herself. Was that wrong?

She was not second guessing herself. She was just getting ready, and when she finally stepped into the lab, angst and reflection were replaced by the eagerness to perform.

Lena and Eric were setting up diagrams at the projector when Kara finally arrived at the lab less than a minute before class began. Her friends did not appear concerned that Kara might chicken out. They knew her better than she knew herself. Lena and Eric had been doing all of the work for this presentation over the weekend, and they had studied up on lobster and spider reproduction, while all Kara needed to do was stay horny.

Because it wasn't enough to show a little skin. Enthusiasm was part of the tease, and she was a lousy actress, so it needed to feel real.

As planned, Lena had placed two high chairs up front for Kara and Lena to sit on, while Eric presented at the chalkboard, and Mr. Tight-Ass sat on the opposite side with an obstructed view of the show.

Kara sat in the middle, and she had to be careful just mounting her chair, or she would let the pussy out of the bag even before the show started. Both chairs were merely stools with a thin wooden backrest that prevented Kara from leaning back and that seemed to gently nudge her ass forward on the slippery wooden surface. Kara could not cross her legs on the stool, so she kept them close together, which meant her ass cheeks were visible to about half of the class, indicating that if she was wearing anything at all under the skirt, it was no more than a g-string or the tiniest of panties. But Kara would not get the benefit of the doubt. Not after the last week of scandals. And that made this tease all the better.

Even before Eric said his first word, Kara could see that nearly all of the students' eyes were on her, with more than a little curiosity behind them. Kara knew the thoughts behind those eyes, even without Lena's telepathy. They were looking for a little daylight, and they were being unusually quiet before the teacher called the room to order.

Lena sat beside Kara in her long sleeved shirt and black tights beneath a knee length skirt. Normally a captivating sight herself, but beside Kara, she garnered no attention at all. That did wonders for Kara's ego. Just a couple of weeks ago, she was convinced she was the ugliest girl in the school, now people couldn't take their eyes off of her. Superficial? Yes. Appealing to lust? Definitely. But this was one power Kara didn't know she had, and she was enjoying having it.

Eric started speaking, and Kara noticed he had a very gentle yet powerful speaking voice. Why was he always so quiet? He began by describing the reproductive organs for human beings, starting with women.

As he put a very familiar diagram on the screen, Lena instructed Kara under her breath to slightly move her legs apart, while Lena probed the minds of the audience.

Kara knew that the room was partially in shadows, and the two-inch gap between her knees revealed nothing at all, so she wasn't surprised when Lena whispered again: "More."

This time, several students leaned slightly forward, as a hint of light found paydirt, but even with all of their squinting, all they could see what a shadowy hope of what they wanted to see, and Kara was worried that maybe she was showing too much, when Lena repeated, "More."

Kara bit her lip. She gyrated her hips slightly, then moved her knees to about eight inches apart. That generated whispers among the students, and Lena instructed her to "stop".

Kara held her breath. Had she gone too far? She was getting very wet, and she was afraid even that would be visible soon, so she anticipated Lena telling her to hold back. Instead, Lena said, "Rotate slowly from side to side."

The top of the stool rotated freely, but Kara would need to use her feet to move it about, which would give several people a clear view of her treasure, though for less than one second. Brief enough for reasonable doubt? Kara took a breath and did as she was told, and she could hear heartbeats accelerating. She slowly rotated back and forth twice, giving everyone at least two passes to verify what they thought they saw.

Then her eye was caught by that shy boy, who sat in the front row. He had as good a view as anyone, and even if he wasn't sure of what he saw, Kara could tell by the sweat on his brow and his heartbeat that his imagination had kicked into overdrive. Even before now, Kara could see that he was smitten by her, and she felt kindly towards him, so she wanted to do a little extra.

Kara slowed the rotation of her seat while she looked him directly in the eyes. She made sure he realized this was just for him as she opened her legs even wider.

"Kara," Lena whispered urgently, "be careful!"

But Kara gave the boy a lingering look and disregarded any collateral damage that might have carpet bombed the students sitting near him.

Lena sighed when Kara finally came to her senses and shut the blinds a little. "OK," she whispered, "you are really getting into this, aren't you? Good, because it's time for the finale."

Finale? They hadn't talked about a finale, and Kara wasn't sure if she was ready.

"I want you to turn and face Eric," Lena whispered, then added, "only if you want to."

Kara took a deep breath, wondering what Lena had in mind, as she rotated to face Eric, leaving only her ass-cheeks for the eager audience to ponder.

Eric seemed as surprised as Kara was by whatever Lena had planned. He continued with his presentation without skipping a beat, but his voice cracked just a bit.

"Open up wide," Lena whispered. Kara hesitated, then Eric paused for just a moment to look, as Kara complied.

"Let him see everything," Lena emphasized. The whole classroom seemed to adjust their seats at once, as Kara lifted her skirt slightly. Everyone could see what she was doing, but only Eric could see her in her excited glory.

Kara had always thought Eric was gay, and maybe he was, but he suddenly had trouble talking and seemed a little lost as he tried to complete his presentation.

Suddenly, many of the eyes in the classroom migrated from Kara to Eric, as a bulge was barely contained by his pants.

Kara had thought she was gay, too, but his reaction really turned her on. It turned on the whole classroom, it seemed, as everyone felt intense arousal with no outlet to satisfy it.

Eric hurriedly finished up the presentation, and Kara slipped off her seat into a less revealing pose.

Their teacher finally stood up from behind his desk, seemingly ignorant of the buzz that was floating around the room. "Very nicely done, Eric. You have a nice speaking style. You are always so quiet, I didn't think you had it in you."

"Thank you," Eric replied with a mischievous smile.

The class mulled over their collective reaction, while Eric gathered his things, and Kara shyly looked at the ground, as though she was still that quiet girl they remembered from several weeks ago. Then, as the three walked back to their seats, a few male students in the room cheered rambunctiously, and several girls laughed at the absurdity of it all.

Finally, the three troublemakers allowed themselves to relax with big, embarrassed smiles, knowing now that their sabotage was received exactly the way they had hoped it would be.

"How do you feel," Eric asked Kara gently. His frankness and sincerity surprised her, but then again, they had shared a special moment together.

Kara was all smiles, which seemed really weird, because she knew word about this would get around, but Lena was right: It made all the difference that this was her choice. Cookie couldn't shame her if she didn't feel ashamed of herself.

"I feel amazing," Kara said. "How do YOU feel?"

"We always know how Eric feels," Lena interrupted, teasing, then she said to Kara more quietly. "You know, you went too far there, don't you?"

"I know," Kara replied a little more seriously. "I just wanted to make it a little more special for someone. Is it a problem?"

Lena smiled dismissively. "One of the students near your boy toy saw a little more than she wanted to see, but she can handle it."

Kara sighed in relief. "At least Mr. Tight-Ass didn't catch on."

Lena lowered her voice even more. "He did."

"What?" Kara asked more with surprise than alarm.

"He moved his seat so he could see. He just didn't say anything because he was as curious as everyone else," Lena replied.

"Eww!" Kara winced, finding it totally acceptable that everyone in her class lusted after her, but not her teacher. She had to draw the line there.

Lena laughed, and Kara laughed at herself.

A new group of students gathered at the front of the room.

"Poor guys," Lena joked. "We'll be a hard act to follow."

X X X

There were three more presentations that day, but needless to say, the reproduction presentation was the only one people remembered as they left the lab and headed to lunch break.

The trio sat at their usual place in the cafeteria. Kara and Lena sat quietly taking in what people were thinking around them, until finally Eric had to object as the only person who could not listen in.

"A lot of people are debating whether I was teasing with the goods or was just bluffing," Kara laughed.

Lena added, "But two boys saw it all, and they are trying to make people believe them."

"My boy toy?" Kara asked, prepared to be disappointed.

Lena shook her head. "No, even while your 'secret' is crashing down around us, Bobby is keeping it to himself."

Kara smiled approvingly. "Good boy."

A small disturbance caused psychic ripples at the other end of the cafeteria, and everyone looked as Alex marched past everyone towards their table.

"She knows," Lena alerted, though a blind person could see that.

Kara was not alarmed at first, until she saw how upset Alex looked, as Alex stopped at Kara's side.

"Can we talk outside," Alex asked politely.

Kara nodded at once, and they stood up and walked out of the cafeteria.

A throng of students followed them to the door, but Alex did not want to wait until they could seek out a truly private space. They created their own private space in the hallway, the same way they often did on the bus.

"Why did you do it?" Alex asked sternly.

"What did people tell you?" Kara asked.

"Answer the question! Please!" Alex demanded loudly with the voice of someone who felt betrayed.

"I was tired of everyone trying to protect me and telling me who I was," Kara replied with a motto that was building in her mind. "I just wanted to break everything and start over. I tried to tell you…"

"But why like this!?" Alex cried. "Why did you have to expose yourself to everyone?"

Kara's confidence teetered in the face of Alex's distress. "I don't want to feel ashamed of my body anymore."

"That's not what I mean!" Alex buried her face in Kara's chest, nearly collapsing. "I thought you were saving yourself for me."

Kara didn't know how to react, except to help hold Alex up. "I didn't think you wanted me anymore," she finally said.

Alex stood up quickly and kissed Kara hard on the lips and held to her as tightly as she could. "How can you say that?"

Kara wrapped her arms around Alex, and they kissed right there in the hall, even as students gathered around for a better look.

Finally, a daredevil snuck up behind Kara and lifted her skirt, to answer the question of the moment once and for all.

For that he was decked by a punch that almost broke Alex's hand.

Kara smiled. "My hero."

Alex shook her head, refusing to smile, but she wasn't upset at Kara anymore. Damn Eliza, damn Cookie, damn whatever anyone thought of them. She was just happy to have her lover back.

"Let's go home," Alex suggested, "right now."

Kara nodded and they kissed again.

X X X

Lena and Eric stood by the door leading out of the school, watching the Danvers girls walk away arm in arm, leaving a trail of broken rules, shame and shattered expectations in their wake, as they resumed down the path of love.

Lena had a big, satisfied smile on her face. "Do you think they'll ever appreciate how much we do for them?" she asked.

Eric shook his head. "What can I say? We work in mysterious ways."


	13. Fallout

Outside of the school, a cold gusty wind tossed the trees about, and the clouds above looked ominous. Mercifully, the rain never came, and the winds slowly settled.

No bus waited for Kara and Alex, as they were leaving Leesburg High two hours before the final bell of the day rang. They took their time going home, stretching a 45 minute walk into an hour. They had a lot to talk about.

"This is the way we always go home on the bus," Kara said, urging Alex down one path.

"If we walk that way, we'll be walking on the highway. This way is safer." Alex said, and they turned down a road that led to a bike path, and Kara was skipping like they were walking just for fun.

Alex smiled. She felt like everything had just crashed around them and shattered into pieces, and she was only now realizing that none of that stuff she had been protecting mattered a bit. Alex had been letting everything in her life that she hated block her from being with the one person she truly loved. She felt stupid for not realizing it sooner but was grateful to discover her blunder before it was too late.

A fork appeared on the bike path and they paused to consider which path would take them home. Alex took advantage of the delay by massaging her feet. Her shoes were meant to look good, not to be walking around in for miles. "Let's just pick a path. Both paths are heading in the right direction, kind of," Alex finally suggested.

Kara furrowed her brow, looked around, then smiled. "Let's see," she said cheerfully, as she floated up like a balloon just above the treetops. She surveyed the area and pointed to the distance. "There!"

"Okay, we go left," Alex said, smiling, and she watched closely as Kara floated back down towards her. Kara was not paying attention to the wind or the affect of her descent, as her skirt was tossed around like a flag. Alex got quite an eyeful. "A little drafty down below, isn't it?" Alex teased as she shivered, knowing full well that her sister barely felt the cold, but of course her question had little to do with the weather.

"Huh?" Kara asked, but quickly understood. She nodded a little awkwardly, as they continued walking. This was not a conversation she was eager to have.

"So that was a mistake, right? You were in such a hurry this morning you forgot to put on your underwear," Alex suggested, trying to understand how they got to this point today, but not wanting to sound like it was a big deal.

Kara first nodded, then shrugged. "I guess."

That was a frustrating answer for Alex. "Is this something people did on Krypton?"

Kara looked at Alex quizzically. "What do you mean? Do what?"

"I don't know. Wear tiny skirts with nothing underneath. Show off to strangers. Stuff like that."

"Well," Kara began, taking the question seriously, then she paused to reflect. "We didn't wear underwear back home, but we didn't have miniskirts, either. We weren't ashamed if people saw any part of our bodies, but we didn't tease people like that, either."

"I don't understand why you did it, then," Alex said, hoping Kara could explain.

Kara shrugged. "I don't know. I just thought it would be fun, I guess. Lena and Eric were into it, too, so we did it."

Alex sighed and felt depressed by that answer. She hated that Kara was treating this so trivially. She hated that Kara didn't even consider her feelings when she did it.

Kara noticed her mood falling. She stopped skipping and asked, "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing," Alex said, waving Kara off. "I'm just feeling selfish."

Kara stepped in front of Alex, and they both stopped. "What do you mean? Why would you feel selfish."

"Because it feels bad knowing that other people are seeing you that way," Alex said, cringing at the sound of her own voice. She felt like she was whining, but she had to say it. "I thought that I could be enough for you. I'm selfish because I want that part of you for just myself."

They stood there, staring at each other for a moment, as Alex's words sank in, then Kara hugged Alex and smiled sadly. "I think that's what I want, too. I think that's why I did it. Maybe. Partly. I don't like you being reasonable all the time. Not about us. I _want_ you to be selfish about me. I _want_ you thinking about me like that."

Alex raised an eyebrow. "So you won't be doing stuff like that anymore?"

Kara nodded and raised her hand as though being sworn into court. "I promise to wear panties at school from now on, or at least longer skirts, and the only person I will tease is you."

Alex laughed. "I'll hold you to that!"

"But YOU have to kiss me every day," Kara insisted, leaning in close.

"Sounds reasonable," Alex agreed, laughing, as she eagerly commenced fulfilling her promise.

X X X

The driveway was empty when they arrived at home about 90 minutes early. They knew Eliza wanted to ambush them in the driveway after school, to prevent any "funny business", but the joke was on her. The girls knew they had at least an hour before they had to face their mom, so they plopped on the couch, almost into each other's laps.

Kara clicked away at the TV and felt annoyed. "I don't recognize any of these programs."

Alex was still shivering from the long walk home in the cold. She slipped out of her shoes and winced as she examined her blisters.

Kara showed Alex her perfectly healthy feet and stuck out her tongue, then Alex bashed Kara over the head with the sofa cushion.

Kara stopped clicking the remote, allowing an obscure soap opera to take over the television. The screen showed a young couple making out. It was a welcome thought that drew Alex closer. The girls huddled together under a fleece throw, and Kara lent Alex her warmth. They quickly found a position where both girls felt snug and settled in like cats under a sunbeam, where they rested their eyes and ascended to a blissful catnap.

Too soon, Eliza drove into the driveway.

Of course, they knew this time would come, yet knowing did not help Alex prepare for it. She was never able to confront her mother. Her anxiety would build up so high that her mind would stop working, and she could barely talk. So she either had to accept whatever law her mother laid down or escape by running into her room. She could do neither today. She needed to set her own rules, yet she wasn't sure how to go about that.

So the girls let their laziness dictate the manner of their disobedience. They refused to move. Kara had settled on top of Alex, with her head resting between Alex's pillows, refusing to stir.

A moment later, Eliza was standing over them, quiet as a mouse, and she stared at her two girls, waiting for them to notice her presence, before she would pounce. The girls tried to ignore her, but Alex finally could not keep her eyes shut and stared right back up at her mother and asked simply: "What?"

Alex expected an explosion or at least a strong rebuke, but when Eliza saw the brazenness of their rebellion, she contained her emotions like a dam holding back a river during a storm. Finally she stormed out of the room and disappeared into her bedroom.

Alex watched in wide-eyed wonderment. How had she turned the tables on her mother so easily?

X X X

During the next commercial break, Eliza emerged from her room wearing a humble expression she rarely ever showed to her daughters.

Alex and Kara were still cuddling on the comfy couch, so Eliza sat down on the matching chair beside them. She took the remote off of the table in the middle and muted the TV.

Eliza folded her hands on her lap, cleared her throat, and then she spoke with the same tone she used when speaking to other adults.

"It's clear that you and Kara have made up your minds that you don't want to be sisters anymore," Eliza said.

The girls glanced at each other and shook their heads, because that thought had never occurred to them.

"Well, it's either one or the other, but whatever you want to call this, it's fine. Really, this is not the kind of family I had imagined for us, but it's fine," Eliza said, sounding like it was anything but fine. In fact, she sounded like she was in mourning. "I just want you girls to realize that this thing is going to draw attention to you and to Kara. Everyone will be wondering why two sisters would act this way. They will wonder how long has Kara been with the family. They will ask where she came from. All the questions we don't want them to ask. You will need to have answers ready. So you need to be discrete and work really hard not to draw attention to yourselves. Just promise me you'll try to do that."

Kara and Alex stared at each other wide eyed for a moment, remembering the past few weeks, and then this morning, and try as they might, they could not suppress a laugh.

"You need to take this seriously!" Eliza said sternly. "There are people out there looking for Kara, and others who would cause hell if they knew she existed."

"People like who?" Alex asked with both curiosity and suspicion. She had heard this too often before, but never received an explanation. Of course she would do anything to protect Kara from any threat, but she was not accepting Eliza's warnings blindly anymore.

For a moment, Eliza looked like she would actually tell them those big secrets, but then her stare hardened. "Just promise me."

Kara and Alex both shrugged. They were annoyed that Eliza was still keeping important facts from them, but this lecture had gone better than they had expected, and they didn't want to push their luck. Eliza didn't know yet how many of their family secrets were now common knowledge, and none of them wanted for Kara's biggest secret to come out, so Alex said for both of the sisters, "Sure, mom, we promise."

Eliza allowed herself a weak smile and nod. "OK. I'm glad we had this talk. I'm feeling really tired, so I'm going to rest for a while. Order pizza if you want to."

Kara and Alex sat up quickly. The magic word "pizza" had conjured hunger in their bellies, and they immediately began debating what toppings to order with it.

They didn't notice or care much that Eliza quickly retreated into her room and remained there for the rest of the night.

X X X

The pizza arrived in only 20 minutes, which was barely enough time to cook it, Alex thought. The smell of pizza right out of the oven was like paradise, so they tipped the delivery boy exorbitantly.

When they opened the box, the cheese was so melty and hot, they were too excited to relax on the couch. Instead, they did something ill-advised: they decided to check online and see what chaos they had wrought that day in school.

They each carried a dripping slice into Alex's room and huddled around the computer as Kara's old CRT monitor warmed up.

"So how will Cookie attack us today?" Kara asked rhetorically, acting almost bored at Cookie's antics at this point, as she ate half of her slice in one bit.

"Maybe she'll leave us alone, now that we are doing her job for her," Alex said both sarcastically and hopefully.

Those hopes were dashed when the chat room opened up. Of course, Cookie would pile on, but the tenor of the discussion was very different from previous days:

4:12pm **CrystalGurl** : It's really DISGUSTING! I hope they wiped off that seat before someone else sat down!

4:13pm **PeggySue** : I hope she wasn't on her period

4:15pm **SkinsFan** : eww, you girls are such a buzzkill

4:16pm **CrystalGurl** : Don't tell me you wish you had been there!

4:17pm **SkinsFan** : of course I wish I had been there, everyone does, right watcher?

4:18pm **Watcher** : leave me out of it

4:18pm **CrystalGurl** : I hear finally they are going to crack down on the dress code. ABOUT TIME!

4:19pm **SkinsFan** : oh gawd

4:20pm **Cookie** : Don't worry girls. That slut has got everyone going gaga like they just saw a pig riding a bike, but eventually they'll settle down and realize: it's just a pig.

"So now I'm a slutty pig?" Kara asked, more amused than upset.

"Of course not," Alex reassured, then seemed slightly disappointed. "Cookie is usually more clever with her insults."

Just then, a pop-up appeared indicating that Alex had an email, inviting her to join some MySpace group. Alex received such invites almost every day, as fellow students in the school had the nasty habit of inviting the whole student body every time they started any new group. MySpace made that too easy to do. Alex casually opened the pop-up, prepared to decline the offer, until she saw the name of the MySpace group: "Kara Danvers ROCKS".

"Oh my God!" she gasped.

"What?" Kara asked, then looked at the screen. "Oh… What does it mean?"

Alex shook her head. "Let's see," she said, then clicked the "Join" link and they were transported into the new MySpace group. The top of the page said that the group was only about 12 minutes old, and it already had 46 members and 21 messages. The moderator was anonymous.

Both girls held their breath as Alex clicked open the page, which was a lot like a chat room, except with more bells and whistles and they had to click refresh manually:

Moderator: Ya I was one of the lucky guys in Henkey's biology class with a front seat view, and I'm dying to hear what you guys think! That was the hottest thing ever!

Cindy: I thought it was really funny lol, and even kind of hot I guess, but what makes it so special? All of us girls have one of those, you know.

Moderator: Prove it! ;^)

Andi: I think it's terrible. It's so demeaning to girls. It reduces us to sex objects.

Kim: What? Like being called "ugly" or "dyke" doesn't? Bravo Ms Danvers! If people are going to treat you like a sex object, you might as well be the kind you want to be.

Andi: Yeah the slut kind.

Cindy: Hold up! What with the hate?

Andi: Hey, I was in the front row too and I didn't appreciate having that thrown in my face!

Moderator: Well you could have looked away instead of stare the whole time!

Andi: I shouldn't have to look away. This was school alright?

Kim: Fuck school! I wasnt even there and I think we are learning a lot more today than on other days.

Andi: Like what? You could learn a ton more from a porno site.

Cindy: Exactly, so what's the big deal? Guys are all acting like they saw something amazing, but all most of us saw was a girl being a tease!

Cindy: I mean, I like being a tease sometimes too. Maybe not like that, but I dont want people telling me what to wear or what to be ashamed of. I guess I don't know what to think.

Emily: Sometimes I won't wear underwear either. You cant tell because I wear a long skirt, but still it makes me me a little excited anyway

Andi: Eww if you don't see anything wrong with all that then what is society coming to?

Moderator: idk, but no complaints here.

Emily: I know one of the teachers was watching when that jerk flashed Kara's ass in the hall and now I hear they might crack down on the DRESS CODE. Just saying

Andi: I guess that's what happens when you dress like a slut

Kim: Actually thats what happens when "boys will be boys", blame the girl. Andi I thought you were a feminist!

Cindy: I laughed when I saw Kara's kitty hiding under her skirt but I got really turned on when I saw Erik's stiffy. That wasn't hiding at all. So are they gonna ban guys tight jeans too? They are so distracting to us helpless horny girls, we can't control ourselves. Such bullshit.

Emily: All I know is that I'm not giving up my crop tops. I busted my ass to get my stomach looking like this.

Kim: Can I at least still wear my short shorts?

Emily: Ugh I'm cool with what Kara did but maybe that was a little too far.

Kim: I hope not

Cindy: Fuck that I'll wear what I want to wear

Moderator: Am I like the only guy here?

Cindy: lol

Kim: I see some boys in the member list. They just watching I guess

Cindy: Just waiting to see which girls wear panties no doubt

Kim: well shit

"Can I type something?" Kara asked Alex.

"Uh...sure," Alex said, then she helped Kara set up a MySpace account and was able to invite her because Alex was a member.

Moderator: Well that is intriguing 8) but I hope she does it again.

Cindy: What I don't get is why Kara did it at all. I mean everyone had been so mean to her and her sister for weeks now. I don't buy any of Cookie's crap. I'd so hate everyone if I were them, and I certainly wouldn't be sharing anything so private, so it was funny but I don't get it.

Kara: I just wanted people to see that I can be fun. I have only a few friends and there are a lot of lies out there so I wanted for people to see who I am.

Moderator: OMG is that really you, Kara? I bow down before thee.

Andi: Yeah we saw who you are. Is that really the best way to introduce yourself?

Kara: Since I moved here everyone said I can't do this and I can't do that, and then I saw Britney breaking the rules on the news and I really wanted to break the rules too.

Kim: I wish I had the courage to do that, too. Not what you or Britney did exactly but just break the rules like that. So many rules are there just to keep us from being ourselves.

Kara: thats so true

Moderator: Are you gonna break the rules again tomorrow?

Cindy: Hey Kara, Cookie is talking a lot of shit about you, I'm sure you know. It's none of our business, but if you want to clear the air, I'll believe you.

Cindy: Are you still there Kara?

Alex: The stuff that Cookie says is partly true and mostly bullshit. I should know, because we were friends once, and I did some of her bullshit for her, but she tried to turn me against Kara, so fuck her. Yes, me and my adopted sister have been in love for a long time now. Yes we make out. Yes we did some stupid things because we didn't want people to know. But now we don't care who knows. We don't care who we offend, and we are tired of hiding. Kara is a free spirit that always felt chained and she just wanted to be herself, and I totally support her.

Lena: I just got here. Thanks for the invite. I can vouch for everything Alex just said. The Danvers girls are the best. Cookie is poison. Kara is a super sweet girl who was always shy. I'm so happy she is getting over that.

Cindy: I know I see you guys in biology every day but we should hang sometime.

Kara: I would like that

"Hey," Alex said gently when she saw the tears building in Kara's eyes. "You okay?"

"People like me," Kara said in awe while wiping her eyes. "People saw my pussy and they like me."

"Wait! They don't like you because you showed the goods!" Alex insisted unconvincingly. "That's not the reason. You only got their attention with that, but now that they noticed you they see that you are a really nice person. That's a much better reason, don't ya think?"

Kara nodded then hugged Alex, crying freely.

X X X

But the truth was that Alex had no idea why people suddenly liked Kara. It was the last thing she would have expected after what Kara had done, but Alex could not be more grateful.

Alex hugged Kara gently, marvelling at Kara's tears. Alex had forgotten how hard it had been for Kara to make friends when she had started school, and she didn't realize that pain was still in her. But how could it not be?

Kara had always believed that something was wrong with herself, that maybe people would never like her because she was too alien.

Alex had believed that as well, and so had Alex's parents. After all, when Kara had first arrived on Earth, Kara was a mess, having just lost her world and now thrust into a new world as different from hers as could be. Eliza and Jeremiah wanted to make Kara's life as normal as possible, but Kara stood out like a sheep in a pack of wolves. Invulnerable skin couldn't protect her from their teeth.

So they had protected her and showed her how to hide who she was. In their home, she was allowed to be Kara, but in the outside world she had to conform to a proper American girl.

Kara learned amazingly fast, but high school eyes were not fooled. They sensed difference, and difference bred suspicion, and to Alex's enduring shame, Alex had only made matters worse.

Alex had been alarmed when she first learned that Kara had befriended Lena and Eric. Alex had been warned several times to avoid them, but when Alex met them she realized that they were also misfits, like Kara. They were a perfect for each other.

Still, Alex always doubted Kara could fit in with regular students like cheerleaders and partiers. Those people were the most discerning of social incompatibility, she had thought, after many years of struggling to fit in herself.

Then Kara put herself out there in a way people could not ignore, as though she didn't care what people thought of her. She went and did the one thing that Alex was sure would make her a total outcast: she acted like an animal in heat.

And she was a hit! Many people were not seeing her in any negative light at all. Instead, they saw her as authentic and as a trailblazer.

Did Alex and her parents have it wrong all that time? Was the key to Kara's happiness to just let Kara be Kara and let the chips fall where they may? And was it even moral of them to try to fix her?

X X X

Fixing Kara was the last thing on Alex's mind, now.

When their mom didn't emerge from her bedroom at 9pm, Kara convinced Alex to take a shower with her. Alex hesitated. Expressing their love that way seemed wrong, knowing that their disapproving mother was just two rooms away, but Kara assured Alex that Eliza was asleep. When the warm water washed over them, it cleansed them of the stressors of the day, and Alex finally felt a sense of peace. The world finally felt right.

When they finally laid down to sleep that night, they did not need the hole in the wall to whisper in each other's ears.


	14. Quite an Education

Shortly after sunrise, the sound of pans clanking together and the sweet smell of coffee roused Kara from her sleep. She wanted to let Alex sleep on, but when she rolled out of bed, Alex woke up, too.

"Do you think she wants us to come for breakfast?" Kara asked.

"What is she making?"

"Pancakes and scrambled eggs," Kara replied. Those were Kara's and Alex's favorite breakfast foods respectively.

They adjusted their pajamas and quietly approached the kitchen, unsure if their mom could hear their bare feet on the carpet, but as they stepped through the door, Eliza said flatly, "You know, sisters or not, allowing girls your age to sleep together in this house could be considered bad parenting by some people."

The girls paused before sitting down at the table. Did that mean she was okay with it, or that she wasn't?

But Eliza turned around, flashed a weak smile, and then placed a plate of food for each girl on the table, so Kara and Alex sat down.

"Thank you for cleaning up after yourselves last night," she said, throwing out an olive branch.

The girls each thanked her for preparing breakfast, and all three of them proceeded as though they were just regular sisters again, and their mom pretended to be proud of them. Kara hoped that if Eliza pretended long enough, maybe one day she really would feel that way again.

Eliza piled more pancakes on Kara's plate without asking. When Kara immediately began devouring the second helping, Eliza smiled. "I'm glad you are no longer trying to lose weight."

Kara smiled and shook her head. After finally swallowing, she said, "I'm so over that!"

"You should have seen her eating pizza last night," Alex teased.

A few weeks ago, Kara would have been sensitive to such teasing, but now Kara poured syrup all over her food, as if proud of her appetite. She hoped that by eating so much, her breasts would grow as plump and beautiful as Alex's some day.

Eliza sat down. She sipped at her coffee and continued the tame small talk, trying to establish a new normal with her daughters. Kara appreciated the effort, but she wondered how long it would take before Eliza started judging them again.

"Have you thought any more about what college you might want to go to?" She asked Alex, to which Alex merely shook her head. "Well, you still have plenty of time."

Then to Kara, she asked, "Have you been able to make any new friends at school?"

Kara had confided with Eliza weeks ago that she felt very lonely at school. Kara didn't notice Alex's warning glare when she happily replied, "Oh, yes, we have two good friends now, Lena and Eric, and some people are really ..."

"Wait! Did you say 'Lena'?" Eliza nearly shouted. "Lena Luthor?"

Kara was startled, and Alex was confused.

"No, mom," Alex replied. "Her name is Lena Thorul."

Eliza's calm demeanor disintegrated in an instant. "I told you to stay away from her!" she yelled at Alex, then more calmly she said to Kara, "You can't be friends with her, Kara."

"Why?" Kara asked sadly, though in her heart she already felt defiant.

"Yes, mom, why?" Alex pressed.

Eliza looked more panicked than angry. She realized that she needed to disclose at least this one secret she had been keeping from her daughters.

"Her real name is Lena Luthor. She is the younger sister of Lex Luthor," she said as calmly as she could, and then let the words sink in.

Alex was too stunned to respond.

"So?" Kara asked. "Who is that?"

Eliza sighed then picked up the newspaper on the table. "You really need to read more of these, Kara."

"Nobody reads those anymore, mom," Alex informed her.

"Lex Luthor is a scientific genius, Kara," Eliza said. "He is also a madman with no conscience, who constantly breaks the law, and has even tried to kill your cousin on multiple occasions. He only found out he had a younger sister around five years ago, at which point he kidnapped her and several other children as guinea pigs for experimentation . Your cousin freed the children the year before you arrived on Earth, and then he helped hide Lena and her mother from Lex's influence."

"That's horrible!" Alex said.

"But why can't we be friends with her?" Kara asked, barely able to digest what Eliza had said. "Lena didn't do anything wrong."

"She is Lex Luthor's sister. It's in their genes," she explained, "but even if she has a better heart, she could suffer from Stockholm's syndrome. Despite how he had mistreated her, she might feel sympathy for her brother. If Lex Luthor ever finds out who you are, we will all be in danger."

X X X

Of course, Eliza would not let the girls leave home without them promising to keep away from Lena, and of course they promised, and of course they had no intention of keeping that promise.

At least Kara didn't. And Alex must have known this, because she kept trying to get Kara to think of anything else during the entire bus ride to school, but talking about food and whispering sweet nothings into her ear only worked for so long.

All Alex needed to do to distract Kara was show a little physical affection, and Kara would be able to think of nothing else, but their mere presence on the bus this morning was drawing intense attention, and for once neither girl was interested in putting on a show.

"I don't need telepathy to know they are wondering if you are wearing underwear," Alex noted, pretending concern.

The distraction worked.

"But you saw me put them on this morning!" Kara insisted.

"I didn't see you put on a bra," she countered.

"I didn't promise to wear a bra all the time," Kara complained, then doubted herself. "Did I?"

"No, you didn't," Alex reassured her, smiling, "but I'll bet it's not going unnoticed."

Kara looked around and saw several eyes look away as soon as her eyes targeted them. A few girls were actually blushing, and that made Kara curious, so she took a peek: At least two girls on the bus were not wearing panties under their skirts. Kara smiled with an embarrassing sprinkle of pride in the mix of emotions. With all due respect to Britney, Kara had started something at Leesburg High.

But she knew this was nothing to be proud of. Maybe proud was the wrong word. She felt confident. No, that also felt wrong.

She had let herself be swept away by her baser instincts, and in turn she somehow swept others away as well. This was new to her, both the sexual drive and the feeling of sexual power. Was she discovering a new impact of her Kryptonian heritage? Or was she discovering the sensual nature of a typical adolescent girl?

It was all exhilarating, dangerous, and very confusing. Until recently, she did everything everyone asked, never made any waves, and she had been a pariah. Then, in just one day, she had broken all the rules, and now people wanted to be her friend and others felt she was a sex symbol.

Kara and Alex arrived at school to a bevy of curious fans and scowling critics. They laughed at the absurdity of it all while they walked through the front door. Hushed whispers ensued as they kissed goodbye, and they went to their separate lockers.

Kara hoped to run into Lena, whose locker was only a few yards away from her own, but Lena was nowhere in sight.

However, the school principal **_was_** in sight. Kara tried to not make eye-contact with him and instead hoped to slip by unnoticed, but a peek back confirmed that he was following after her. Kara didn't know what he knew about her stunt yesterday, but really could his head be so far up his ass that he had no clue? He was following her with a mission.

As Kara opened her locker, the principal walked up behind her and said loud enough for everyone around them to hear: "You are not dressed according to the dress code, Ms Danvers."

Kara looked at herself, surprised. She felt exposed, because all of the people nearby were looking at her, but she thought she had dressed appropriately for once. Sure, she wasn't wearing a bra, but her blouse was loose, so she doubted he could tell for sure. Then he was standing too close to her, only a foot away, looking down her shirt where he could see what little cleavage she had.

"I'm sorry," Kara apologized, as she buttoned her top button. "I thought these clothes would be okay."

Then the principal's hand grabbed at the hem of her skirt and pulled it up slowly, making sure to stroke her ass all the way to her lower back.

Kara's body stiffened in surprise.

He tilted his head and seemed a bit disappointed at the unveiling of her plain white panties before a dozen students. He dropped her skirt back into place and critiqued: "Your skirt is too short" -though it was the longest skirt Kara had, covering more than half of her thighs. "It's okay for now, just wear something more appropriate for tomorrow," he said as he turned and walked away.

Kara stood frozen at her locker, and then looked around to see if anyone was still watching her, which of course they were. They saw the whole incident. A few people snickered and others shrugged and walked on.

Gone was that sense of confidence and excitement she came to school with. Now she just felt dirty, even though she did nothing wrong. She wasn't even trying to be sexy, today.

Was what the principal had done to her really okay? she wondered. Was his touching her the price to pay for what she had done yesterday?

X X X

Kara had two classes before biology, and once again she could not concentrate. Would her life ever settle down enough that she could keep her mind on what she was supposed to learn?

Then, out of the blue, she heard her name called out and she looked up. Her history teacher had just asked her a question, and all she could say was, "Huh?"

"Could you tell me the name of the case before the U.S. Supreme Court that led indirectly to the Civil War?" He asked condescendingly. "Answer any time, once you get your head out of the clouds."

A few students giggled, and one whispered, "more like out of the gutter."

Kara couldn't take offense to the remark, because that was exactly where her mind had been all through class, and she hadn't done any of her homework, so there was no hope for her to answer the question.

But before she could say "I don't know," one black student was shaking his head and he whispered the answer so quietly Kara almost missed it.

"Dred Scott?" Kara finally answered, unsure that she had heard it right.

"That's right," the teacher replied, surprised, then he went on to describe the impact of the court case on nineteenth-century history.

Kara gracefully accepted several unearned impressed looks, but she vowed to herself that next time she wouldn't have to cheat her way through class.

X X X

Finally, Kara hurried to the lab, where a few more groups were scheduled to deliver their own comparative biology presentations.

Kara was eager to get to her corner, where she could see Lena and Eric already standing, but she was intercepted by the teacher, who was looking at her in a funny way.

"Ah, Miss Danvers, I've been asked by the school board to notify any students who are not following the current dress code," He began critically.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Henkey," Kara said, "but I've been trying to find out what the dress code actually is, and even the librarian can't tell me."

"Well, I assure you, this won't cut it," he said as he reached eagerly for the hem of her skirt, like the principal had done earlier. "Are you even decent under there?"

Kara was ready this time, and she quickly stepped away from his grasp.

"Are **_you_** decent in **_there_**?" Lena said as she stepped between them and pointed at his head.

He ignored Lena and looked right at Kara, saying, "I'll be watching you."

"We noticed," Lena shot back and then escorted Kara to their corner, which was fortunately about as far away from the teacher as was possible.

Kara must have looked a little upset, because Lena asked, "Are you okay?"

Kara nodded and tried to relax. "It just feels like the principal and the teachers are trying to embarrass me today."

"Oh, he was trying to do a lot more than that," Lena warned.

A cute, slightly plump girl from the front of the lab came to their corner and whispered, "Hey Kara, I saw what he tried to do up there. I just want you to know that if you need a witness."

"Thanks," Kara replied. The girl smiled then quickly returned to her group.

"That's Cindy," Lena said, "from MySpace."

"Oh!" Kara looked at her again. "She's nice."

"Is something else bothering you?" Lena asked, making Kara wonder if Lena was getting better at reading her mind.

Lena's tone of concern caught Eric's ear, and he moved closer to hear.

Kara looked at them both and felt she was so lucky to have them as friends. Eliza's dire warnings seemed so out of place.

"OK, everyone get with your group, now," Mr. TightAss said, clapping his hands. They needed a new nickname for him.

Lena and Eric were still waiting for her answer.

"Can we talk about it at lunch?" Kara asked.

Then they relaxed and watched as Cindy's group presented the Excretory System as a parody of their Reproductive System show yesterday. Cindy got on the same seat Kara had made famous yesterday, and she flashed Kara a wink. Everyone in the lab saw where this was going, and the presentation became really funny and controversial when they got to the part about peeing.

X X X

Word about this latest outrage spread fast, of course.

"Well, you guys really have turned this school on its head!" Alex said admiringly, as she sat down beside Kara in the cafeteria. "Anything seems possible, now."

Kara smiled enthusiastically, but she was frustrated because she wouldn't know exactly how to express what she was feeling until a few years later, when someone would invent the phrase: "I know, right?"

Everyone at the table laughed in amazement at the changing mood within the school.

But then Alex's eyes met Lena's. Then Eric saw Lena's somber expression. Then Kara felt his smile fade, and instantly she knew what was going on.

"So … now you know," Lena said flatly, then to Kara, "Was this what was bothering you earlier?"

Kara nodded. "I think so."

"Well, I hope you can keep this between us, but yes, it's true, Lex is my brother," she said plainly, but she couldn't completely hide the sadness behind her words.

Alex sighed. "It's going to take a while for me to get used to you reading my mind before I even say anything."

Lena looked meaningfully at Eric, who nodded back at her reluctantly.

Then she leaned forward and waited for them to do the same because this was very secret stuff. When their circle was closed, she finally began:

"I guess you know the small things, the stuff your mother knows, but with all due respect, she doesn't know anything. Lex is my half brother. We have the same dad. It wasn't easy for dad when his son grew up into a sociopath, so he tried to disappear and start a new life with my mom. A few years ago Lex found out. Soon after that, dad died mysteriously, my mom got addicted to heroine, and Lex convinced a judge that he was the best person to take care of me. After all, he was my only sober relative, and he had his own orphanage… Yeah, you are right, Lex having an orphanage is a terrible idea. He wasn't trying to help us find new parents. As far as he was concerned, he was the only dad we would ever need. And yeah, he was trying to help us, if you think running scientific experiments on ten-year-old kids is helping."

Up until this point, Lena seemed detached from the story she was telling, but then she had to stop, as her voice cracked and tears leaked out of her eyes no matter how hard she tried to fight it.

Kara reached out and took Lena's hand. Then Alex and Eric piled on their hands in the middle, as if forming a pact.

"Were you one of the orphans?" Alex asked Eric.

Eric nodded, but he deferred to Lena to tell his story.

"Yes," Lena answered the question Alex didn't ask. "Lex was fascinated with telepathy in all of it's forms, and he experimented with them all. He gave me my ability to read minds. He also destroyed everything I had loved in my life, and he did nothing to help me deal with this power, so no it was not a favor at all. It felt like torture."

"I'm so sorry," Alex said urgently. "I didn't mean…"

"I know," Lena reassured. "I'm sorry...I'm just a little bitter about this. It really gets to me."

"Are you the only one who got powers?" Alex asked Lena, but then she looked at Eric.

"No, most of us got something," Eric replied.

Lena pointed at Eric, nodded and managed a mischievous smile, "Eric got the best power of all."

Then Lena kept cruelly quiet and waited until Kara finally asked self-consciously, "Well?...What is his power?"

Eric was blushing. Lena laughed and looked at the Danvers girls. "Don't you feel just a little embarrassed asking that question?"

Kara and Alex looked at each other wide-eyed. They were blushing, too, and they couldn't understand why.

"This is so weird!" Alex said. "Are these my feelings … or his?"

"Now you know what I deal with all the time," Lena said laughing.

Eric looked away. He felt incredibly embarrassed.

And therefore, so did everyone else.


	15. Lunch with the Telepaths

What a strange feeling it was: feeling embarrassed for being embarrassed and for embarrassing everyone around him. Try as he might, Eric couldn't fight his embarrassment. He had to accept it and feel it until the feeling passed on its own accord. That meant that everyone around him would feel embarrassed, too. Often, his ability was more of a curse than a power.

Eric's instinct was to be angry at Lena for making him feel that way, but anger was a very dangerous feeling for him. It always caused havoc around him.

He had learned way back in the seventh grade, on the first day of school, that having a temper was no longer a lonely experience. He and Lena had been walking from classroom to classroom when a bully had shoved Eric in the crowded hall, for no reason other than he was a bully. "I'm okay," Eric had told Lena, and then they walked on to class. But Eric had not let the affront slide. He had been angry even an hour after that. He had been pissed at the bully and at himself for letting the bully get away with it, but he had done nothing about it. Eventually he had relaxed. He was not the type of person to hold a grudge. The shove had meant nothing, really, and finally that had been the end of that. No harm, no foul, he had finally accepted.

But then Lena had told him how his anger had affected the people around him. He had spread the feeling across the school like a disease, infecting everyone nearby. People were not understanding why they were angry, so they made up their own reasons. People always think there are rational reasons for their feelings, and because of that, they make stupid decisions. Two kids in love would break up hours later, all because the anger they thought had been their own. One boy with latent racism had begun to plot against a new Jewish kid in the school. One teacher had been upset at his class and gave them extra homework. Sometimes his anger would morph into something else: one poor girl, who had learned to bury her own anger, couldn't bury the extra burden of Eric's anger, so she had a panic attack.

Since then, Eric nearly had several panic attacks himself, because he was determined to never let his anger get the best of him again. Lena was always there with him at school, trying to calm him when another bully came along, or when he got a bad grade, or when someone stole his pencils. Lena would touch his arm sympathetically, and merely knowing that she also felt his anger usually defused him quickly. Mercifully, she would never again tell him the damage his power caused.

Strong feelings were very dangerous for Eric, and often it took all of his effort at school to muffle them. Mild feelings seemed to have little effect on other people, so when he felt a strong feeling coming along, he would usually deflect it with a joke, even if it was not funny. A sense of humor and antidepressants kept him steady. It was the best thing for everyone.

Lena had understood that, and she had always helped Eric keep his feelings under control, until recently.

Then, a few days ago, she had told him, "I can tell that your feelings are eating you up inside. I see how you are with Kara. Yes, of course you need to control your anger. We all need to do that. But you need to let yourself feel again. Everyone needs to do that, too. Whether a feeling comes from an event or a hormone or a song or because someone is psychically influencing us, we are all responsible for how we respond to those feelings. You aren't responsible for how people behave around you."

Eric wasn't sure if that was true or not, but her words felt like a release from prison. In fact, he got so emotional, he wanted to kiss her right then, and she would probably have let him. But he controlled that urge.

Of course, that straight jacket on his urges was exactly what Lena was trying to loosen, if they could just find a way to channel those urges in a good way.

Then Kara came to school one day, feeling a little naughty, and everything clicked into place in Lena's mind. Lena's brain was like magic, coming up with the craziest schemes that always seemed to work. She was like Lex and Cookie that way. But Eric would NEVER tell her that. Fortunately, Lena could not read his mind.

X X X

Lena laughed, as she watched Kara and Alex blush uncontrollably.

Alex was an empathic virgin, never having her feelings penetrated before. She felt embarrassed that her mind was so easily affected by Eric's. At least that is why she thought she was embarrassed, but she was fooling herself: there was no reason for her embarrassment except that Eric was feeling embarrassed first.

Lena knew she was blushing, too. She was no more immune to Eric's telepathic power than anyone else, but she had long ago become accustomed to feeling Eric's feelings and separating his feelings from her own.

Lena watched Kara closely, wondering what she was thinking, and the mystery was beautiful. Lena was getting to know Kara the normal way, and she cherished having a friend like that. What a strange thing it was that the only person who could make Lena feel normal was an alien from another planet!

Alex watched Lena suspiciously while she fought to reclaim her emotions. Lena could hear her internal debates. Alex felt amazed and violated. She wanted to trust Lena and Eric for Kara's sake, but the warning from her mother and her own sense of privacy tempered her trust.

"I want to trust you," Alex said honestly, "but how can I? I mean you can read my mind and plot around my defenses, and he can manipulate my mood. What chance do I have to defend myself against that?"

Alex had a good point, Lena had to admit.

"What chance do I have to convince you of my good intentions?" Lena replied. "I want you to consider us your friends, because we all love Kara, so as different as we might be, we all have that one thing in common."

That did not help. Declaring their love for Kara only made Alex feel more insecure. Now she was afraid that Lena and Eric might take Kara away from her.

Lena wanted to tell Alex the truth, because that was only fair. Lena knew exactly what Alex was thinking, and she wanted Alex to have the same advantage, but Alex would never know for sure what the truth was. Even if she believed the truth, she might feel less secure, because the truth was very complicated.

The hardest part of the truth was that Lena and Eric had both fallen in love with Kara. They couldn't help it. How would Alex feel if she knew that?

But it was also true that Kara was in love with Alex and ONLY with Alex. That is the truth that Alex really needed to be secure in, before anything else.

Could Lena tell Alex that she envied their love? What she envied most was not that Alex had Kara's heart; she envied that the Danvers girls really knew they were in love, and that their love was real.

From Lena's experience, that was something special that few couples had. Some couples would start that way, then the feeling would fade. That was not the case with Kara and Alex. Their love was growing.

Lena had always wanted to be in love like that, but she doubted it was even possible. She had fooled herself a number of times into thinking that maybe she was falling, but she found it impossible to stay attracted to anyone when she could read their mind. Whatever magic began ended as soon as her love interest moved within her telepathic range and transformed into a completely different person. Reading minds was a love killer.

Before Kara came along, Lena had been sure that the only person she could be close to was Eric. Until then, his had been the only mind she could not read, and sharing his feelings was an amazing bonding experience. They seemed like a perfect match. At first, Eric was extremely attracted to Lena, which made her attracted to him, and they could hardly resist that feeling.

When they finally kissed, though, the magic died. Lena wasn't sure why. Maybe it was the familiarity. Maybe it was because they felt trapped with each other. Love should not feel like a trap.

When Lena found Kara, a beautiful girl with a pure heart and a mysterious mind, the trap opened. Lena fell in love with Kara, and as soon as Eric met her, he felt the same way. Eric acted distant, like Kara meant nothing to him, but Lena knew that he was lying to himself, even without reading his mind. His emotions were clear to her, even though they were not clear to Eric himself.

So they were in love with Kara. It did not matter that Kara was in love with someone else. Lena and Eric were both just happy that they could be in love, unrequited or not. Of course, forever being stuck in the friend zone was not ideal, but just being in love with someone felt very special all by itself.

Should she really tell Alex that? Could Alex believe that? The truth was so creepy! When Lena mulled the idea in her own mind, she could barely believe it herself. How could someone always be satisfied that the one she loved would always be in love with someone else?

All Lena could tell Alex was what she wanted to believe. "We would never do anything to push you two apart."

"Then why did you convince her to do that shit in biology? You must have known that would hurt me," Alex replied harshly.

Kara looked uncomfortable with the turn in the conversation. She leaned into Alex, who put her arm around her protectively.

"I'm sorry if we hurt you," Lena said, then she pointed at Alex and Kara. "But before we had our little fun in biology, you girls seemed almost ashamed to be seen in public. Wouldn't you say that you are happier now?"

Alex appeared baffled, then she shrugged. "Well, yeah, but stuff just happened. Are you saying this all happened according to your plans?"

Lena thought for a moment, then nodded. "Mostly."

"Really?" Alex said doubtfully. Then she challenged Lena directly. "What was your plan, exactly?"

"Well, it wasn't exactly a plan. It was more like a bunch of reasons," Lena said. Then she proudly displayed her cunning by listing the reasons one by one: "First of all, I knew you needed a wake-up call, because your mom was messing with your mind and you needed a little shock to the system to remember how you really felt about Kara."

"No, that's not true," Alex replied with no conviction at all, knowing that Lena could read her mind.

Lena continued, "Second, Kara fantasized about it. Sexual fantasies always come out of anxieties, and Kara was very anxious about her body and how she looked. Of course, it's crazy, just look at her, but being on a list declaring her officially ugly didn't help, and this was a way to flash a middle finger at her anxieties in a fun way."

Lena continued with her final reason: "I also knew that Eric had feelings for Kara that he couldn't admit to me or to himself, and I had to prove that to him. I knew if we pulled off this performance right, it would solve all three problems, and it would impress the hell out of several people in the class. They would never know why they were feeling the way that they were feeling, so they would decide they were feeling that way because they were attracted to Kara or at least turned on by what she was doing. And that's what happened. Nobody even thinks about that list anymore. Eric's feelings for Kara are far more contagious than Cookie's vile comments or even people's sexual hangups. Before we did this, Cookie controlled the narrative, but now both of you are out from under Cookie's tarnish with a fresh start."

Kara and Alex looked at Lena with astonishment, both at what Lena was admitting shamelessly, and also that she had planned everything out to such a degree.

"Wow," Alex said, looking more spooked than impressed. "Between you guys and Cookie, we never really had a chance to show the school who we really are. It sucked when kids were just spreading rumors about us and telling our secrets, but now I find out that you have actually been messing with our minds! Kara never liked people staring at her. She doesn't like breaking the rules. I'm sure it wasn't her idea to become a sex symbol."

Then Lena felt uncomfortable. Maybe she had said too much. Sometimes she forgot that she had to censor herself. She was so used to knowing what people around her were thinking that she sometimes forgot that some things were best not said even among friends. But she didn't like concealing things from friends. That was as bad as lying. "I'm sorry," she finally said. "I was just trying to help."

"And have a little fun with my sister at the same time at her expense?" Alex suggested.

Kara shook her head. "No, Alex, it was fun. It wasn't just their idea. I liked doing it."

"Are you sure?" Alex suggested, "or maybe it was Lena messing with you, and it was Eric who was making you horny."

Everyone was suddenly very quiet and uncomfortable. Alex caused that feeling, not Eric.

But Lena felt guilty, too. Lena could see the worry in Alex's eyes, as much as she could hear Alex's thoughts. Alex was worried that maybe Lena and Eric were trying to change her sister, but Lena only wanted to bring out what was already in Kara, which was a more organic kind of change. Lena was a big believer in people confronting their anxieties, and that whatever girl emerged that battle should be congratulated and loved. Maybe Kara had worked out her anxieties with that one show in the bio lab, and now she would turn back to the shy girl she was before. Or maybe she would emerge as some kind of sex symbol. Or maybe it would affect her in a totally unpredictable way. Whatever way Kara might change would not affect how Lena felt about her.

But Lena wasn't the girl Kara was in love with. Kara was Alex's girl. And the fear of losing Kara was weighing very heavily on Alex.

Finally, Kara broke the tension. She put her arm around Alex, pulled her close and kissed Alex seductively on the cheek.

For a moment, Alex doubted Kara's affection was really hers. Alex stared at Eric suspiciously, but he appeared as surprised by Kara's affection as she was.

Kara turned Alex's head with her fingers, forcing their eyes to meet, and then she squeezed Alex's breast a little too hard, but making a real show of it so that anyone watching would notice. Kara attempted a sultry, mischievous smile, but with an awkwardness that was all Kara. "Sometimes, when I break the rules, it's because **I** want to, not anybody else."

The girls stared into each others' eyes, with Kara trying to look mysterious or sexy, without much success, and suddenly Kara cracked up in that dorky way that was all Kara.

X X X

"Well, that was a very interesting lunch," Alex said. She smiled wholeheartedly at Lena, when they stood from the table and collected their trays.

Lena smiled back, knowing that Alex was reassured. That was all Kara's doing. Lena had decided to shut up, as soon as Kara stole away all of Alex's suspicions and objections with her kisses and caresses that caused a bit of a stir in the cafeteria even without Eric's help. Well, maybe he spiced it up a bit, who could know for sure, but Alex could no longer doubt that Kara hid a bit of an exhibitionist behind that shy, awkward veneer, which disintegrated when the heat came. Alex didn't seem to mind when she was in the middle of the exhibition. In fact, she seemed to take some pleasure in reminding Lena that Kara was hers. It was a lesson for Lena about how jealousy works.

Lena felt humbled. She had showed off her social scheming ability, but so many things have happened that she never planned for. For one thing, she had no special insights into Kara's heart, which continuously surprised her. Also, not everything went according to plan in the now infamous biology class: Lena never expected for Kara to take it as far as she did. She hadn't expected for Eric to get as excited as he was, or for Lena herself to be so caught up in it that she fed the fire to the boiling point, when she told Kara to show Eric the goods on a platter. She never expected for the school to crack down on the dress code. She never expected for Cindy and her group to follow their lead in their presentation today. In short, Lena often had big, complicated plans, but she rarely thought about the end game.

The four shoveled their table scraps into the garbage, and put their plates onto a pile that was growing too large, then they headed to the exit, ready to separate for their fourth-period classes in four separate rooms.

Before they reached the doors, Lena sensed the silent desperate hope of a poor soul darkening the cafeteria. Bobby was watching Kara leave, hoping she would just grace him with a glance, as if to tell him that the moment they had shared yesterday was more than just a tease. He had set up a MySpace group to defend his muse against the cruelty of high school, hoping to earn just a little recognition. But Kara never looked his way as she left the cafeteria. Lena heard his anguished unstated pleas, hoping for Kara to give meaning to his life.

Lena had not expected this, either.


	16. Disobediance

Kara finished up the day with a Spanish exam, for which she hadn't done any studying.

Learning two new languages at the same time was hard, and Kara was focusing much more on mastering English. At least that was her excuse for not preparing for her class, and now she felt like she had no choice but to cheat.

She could see the answers other students were writing down. The good girl inside of her duked it out with the bad girl. The good girl wanted to accept her punishment for failing to do the work, but the bad girl kept reminding her that she wasn't like the other students, and the only reason why she was in school anyway was to fit in, and she would try harder next time, so just cheat this once.

So she cheated, but only a little bit, so she wouldn't feel too bad. Of course, this wasn't the first time she succumbed to the temptation to use her powers, and it wouldn't be the last. Once again, she promised to try really hard to study tonight for her English exam tomorrow.

Tomorrow would be her last chance to do things right this semester, since after that was the winter break.

Only a few days ago, Kara thought that the holidays could not come fast enough because school had been such a nightmare.

Everything had changed. Kara now felt much more at home in school. Kara didn't care at all about Christmas or New Years Day. She felt like she was making friends, finally, and that was a much better present than anything Eliza could wrap. Kara also hated the idea that she would have to spend the next two weeks away from Lena and Eric.

"Why so sad?" Lena asked when the four of them met by the lockers at the end of the day.

Kara didn't realize that she looked sad. Or maybe Lena sensed that telepathically. She had told Kara that she could sense her feelings, even though she couldn't sense her thoughts.

"After tomorrow, we won't see each other for two whole weeks," Kara said.

"At least we have tomorrow!" Lena gave the half-glass-full answer.

"Besides, what is stopping us from hanging out over the break?" Eric argued. "I can't imagine staying in my home all the way until 2007, and we don't live that far away. We could all meet in the middle in the mall and really mess up the adult world the way we are messing up our school."

Lena punched Eric's shoulder hard enough to make him wince. "We aren't messing up the school! We're saving it from all of the bullshit!"

"Yep, I know, we are replacing it with better bullshit," Eric said, and he grinned when Lena threatened to smack him again. "Just kidding!"

"What do you mean?" Alex asked seriously, though both Lena and Eric were smiling playfully.

Lena got more serious. "About the bullshit? I just mean that the school is always trying to mold us into something that we aren't. The school tells us how to think and feel, but nobody thinks or feels like they say we should, not even the teachers. So they make everyone feel bad and broken, but the only thing that is broken is all of their rules. So … we are fixing that."

Alex frowned. She was not a rebel at heart. "Maybe it's not all bullshit. Maybe the school teaches like that because it works. Who are we to try to change things, anyway?"

"It's not just the teaching or even the teachers. It's the cliques. It's the bullies. It's the shaming. It's the dress code. Most kids hate all of that shit but don't feel like they can do anything about it. WE CAN change things. So we should!" Lena said confidently.

Alex bit her lip, reluctantly coming around to Lena's way of thinking. "What if we screw things up and make matters worse?"

Lena shrugged. "At least all of us students will be able to say that we learned something in school."

X X X

When Kara and Alex left the bus and entered their home, Eliza was there to meet them.

Eliza was not as supportive as she had been that morning.

"There was a message on the answering machine from the school," Eliza explained to Kara. "It said that you were flashing everyone in class and not wearing any panties."

Kara's mouth dropped. She looked at Alex, but Alex seemed just as baffled on what to do.

"Let me see," Eliza demanded.

"Jeez mom!" Alex objected on Kara's behalf, leveling a nasty look at her mother.

Kara stood stiff and quiet as a board, so Eliza furrowed her brow. "Well?"

Kara groaned then lifted her skirt, revealing the boring white panties.

Eliza sighed, then felt embarrassed. "I'm sorry, Kara. Maybe it was just a phone prank. Kids today..."

"Whatever," Kara said, as she turned towards her bedroom. Kara wasn't embarrassed. She was getting angry. She didn't care if people saw her panties or even if they saw what was underneath, but three times in one day adults thought it was perfectly fine to check under her skirt without her permission. Apparently, adults checking her out was more acceptable than if she showed her goods on her own to who she wanted to see.

Yet if those same adults took a photo, they would probably go to jail, because Kara appeared to be too young. Earth culture seemed crazy to Kara sometimes. Not even taking age into account, images of a woman's vagina or nipples were apparently very controversial, and everyone needed to be protected from them, even though such images were more accessible on the internet than images of puppies and flowers.

Alex followed Kara into the bedroom and slammed the door behind her.

"I can't believe mom did that," Alex said supportively.

"At least she didn't grab the skirt herself," Kara replied. "Why did the school call her if nobody complained?"

"I doubt it was the school who called," Alex answered.

"Cookie?" Kara asked, suddenly sure of it.

Alex nodded. "Let's see."

They turned on the computer and logged into the chatroom.

 _4:51pm_ **PeggySue** : After that new show today in bio and the stuff in the hallways, the freshmen are all going f'ing nuts!

 _4:53pm_ **CrystalGurl** : Not me and my friends. We think it's disgusting.

 _4:55pm_ **PeggySue** : Her mom better get her under control, now that she knows. Maybe she'll take her back to home schooling.

 _4:59pm_ **Cookie** : It's not just Kara anymore. It's the whole freshmen class. It's like they are anarchists or something. The upper classmen need to put them in their place, if we don't do something first.

 _5:00pm_ **SkinsFan** : what difference does it make? the school said they'll crack down on the dresscode so that will stop them

 _5:01pm_ **PeggySue** : One slut shows her slit and so now I can't wear my shorts? Lame.

 _5:01pm_ **Cookie** : I don't know. The freshmen are all out of control. They need guidance.

 _5:03pm_ **CrystalGurl** : That Danvers slut is going to get someone pregs or raped.

"Could that really happen? We were just playing around," Kara said nervously.

"No! Abby's a bitch for even saying that! The worst you could have done was make someone uncomfortable, but whatever they do with that is not on you!" Alex said angrily, then more calmly added, "Let's go to MySpace, OK?"

Kara nodded, hid the chatroom, and opened the "Kara Danvers ROCKS" group in Firefox.

"Wow, 86 members!" Alex said, amazed. "You're a freaking star!"

Kara smiled, already forgetting the harsh treatment she received in the chatroom. "That's like all of the freshmen, huh?"

Alex squinted at the tiny print on the screen. "Some of these are sophomores, too. Hey, that's Cookie's fake name. I guess she wants to spy."

"I alway feel like a spy when I watch them in the chat room," Kara confessed, as she opened the messages of the MySpace group.

Cindy: First!

Moderator: Awww, I just got home

Moderator: but that was a nice tribute to the queen today

Cindy: *bows*

Andi: Yeah, a worthy second act of the debauchery

Kim: Oh here we go again. What happened exactly, anyway? Wish I was in the class.

Andi: Cindy flashed her rump while pretending to pee on the floor

Cindy: Yeah, it's true. Dave fake peed on the blackboard with a magic marker sticking out his pants, and Jim marked his territory like a wolf. Comparative biology and all that.

Andi: That was no marker

Emily: LOL I wish I could have seen that, but I'm pissed because now they are threatening anyone who breaks the dress code. I knew this would happen.

Cindy: Oh, about that! Has anyone actually seen the dress code? Kara had mentioned not being able to find it, so I looked it up. Guess what? What Kara did was completely OK!

Andi: Yeah right

Cindy: Seriously, I'm looking at it right now. I don't know about flashing and all that but the dress code only bans clothes if underwear is visible. It's says nothing about wearing no underwear at all.

Andi: Get real! It's obviously an oversight! Wearing underwear is assumed.

Cindy: You can't enforce an assumption!

Emily: How about my crop tops?

Cindy: Sorry, the dress code doesn't allow belly buttons.

Emily: Oh come on! QQ

Cindy: I know it's f'd up. Except for underwear, it's actually really fascist. It also does not allow logos on shirts or spaghetti straps or short shorts or tank tops, even though lots of teachers wear those. Just about anything a boy wears is OK. They can wear shorts, but if we do it's "distracting".

Emily: Well, fuck that, I guess I'll go commando then. Their rules suck.

Cindy: Some of us are protesting, too. I think I'll wear a tank top, because I want them to see me shove my middle finger in their face. They wouldn't even know if I was wearing panties or not so why bother.

Emily: Maybe that's why it's not in the dress code, because nobody could tell if girls are wearing underwear unless we flash them

Cindy: Or if a teacher decides to force a look under our skirts, like they did with Kara today. If a teacher tries to grab my skirt, I'm gonna slap their face.

Kara: Ha, I wish I had thought of that.

Kim: What? Who grabbed your skirt?

Kara: The principal pulled up my skirt then mr Henkey tried too but I got away

Andi: no way

Cindy: It's true, I heard that some people saw the principal do it, but I saw Mr  
Henkey with my own eyes.

Andi: I don't like what you did Kara, but that is way worse.

Cindy: Protest?

Andi: Maybe I'll wear a tank top, too.

Kim: Me too. Or a cute dress. Maybe I'll go commando too. I never tried it before. It could be fun :0

Charlotte: omg you girls are rad. I'm such a coward but I'll wear my torn jeans. I always wanted to wear torn jeans to school.

Moderator: So two commandos and two tanktops, huh? ;)

Cindy: You know boys can protest, too! Just toss the boxers. Show support for us girls!

Moderator: I dunno nobody wants to see my junk bouncing around

Cindy: Oh, so it's hot if we do it, but it's too embarrassing if YOU do it?

Lena: No, don't say that Cindy! This is about freedom and being proud of ourselves instead of being ashamed. Just protest any way you want, Bobby.

Moderator: I'll protest if Kara protests.

Kara looked at Alex excitedly. Alex shook her head, like she thought she should, but Kara's enthusiasm was contagious.

"This is insane," Alex said, "but fine, just no showing off, please. I'm pretty sure flashing again would get you in trouble, even if Cindy thinks it's OK. How about a tank top this time?"

"I don't have any," Kara replied, frowning. "And I don't want people looking at my boobs. I look so flat. I'll just wear a really small skirt, but I promise I'll wear panties."

"Okay," Alex said, but Kara wasn't even sure Alex had heard her. Alex had a rebellious glint in her eye now, too, as she dug through her wardrobe. "It's not really my style, but I do have a cute tank top somewhere."

Kara typed into the computer: "ok we are in."

X X X

When they arrived at school the next morning, many of the girls were shivering, since they were not only up against an oppressive dress code but also the Holiday season weather. Once they were in the warm interior of the school, they shed their sweaters and jackets, thus decorating the hallways in a very unseasonable way.

Kara drew her share of attention, but Kara felt that Alex outshone her today while showing hardly any skin below the shoulders. Alex wore a simple salmon tank top that showed off her curves and made clear that she wasn't wearing a bra. The thin shirt covered the top of Alex's form-fitting black leggings, hiding the panty lines.

The brewing rebellion included girls from all four grades, with some girls taking the rebellion to an extreme, while others showed only token solidarity.

A few of the boys even got into the action. The dress code hardly affected them, yet Kara saw a t-shirt that said "BORN TO FCUK", another said "I AM NOT DISTRACTED", and one boy wasn't wearing a shirt at all.

Several teachers walked down the hall, pretending to see nothing unusual, but when Kara invoked her super-senses, she saw a commotion in the teacher's lounge and a heated argument in the principal's office. "We should throw them all in detention," said the principal on the speakerphone, but the superintendent replied, "Don't be foolish! And I don't want to hear any more about dress code 'inspections'! It's Christmas break. Let's just ride this out for now, contact the parents, and deal with this when we start next semester."

Alex smiled brightly when Kara described what she had overheard. "Score one for the students!"

While Kara was retrieving her books from her locker, Lena and Eric fashionably made their entrance into the school.

Eric was wearing sandals (one of the few things boys were not allowed to wear), but nobody even noticed him because of the captivating image of the girl who was walking at his side.

Lena was wearing a heavy red and white Santa overcoat that she held closed with her hands. When she walked towards her friends, she let the front peek open a crack, exposing skin like a wave that began at her throat, then travelling through her cleavage, rushing over her navel, then pausing for a brief moment over her bright green panties, until her bare shin fully emerged from the fabric with each step in her fluffy white slippers.

Kara and Alex both watched in awe, thinking that she looked oh so very hot. And she did, but after a moment they realized that Eric was in their heads.

Lena didn't believe that Eric was in love with her. Lena thought that Eric was only in love with Kara. Maybe Lena knew best. She always seemed to know what was going on with her friends. But the passion emanating from Eric was so strong, and Kara could tell it was not directed at herself. Could it be that even a girl who could read minds could be blind to something so obvious?

"Merry Christmas, ladies," Lena said, adding an unusual sultry tone to the greeting, as she buttoned up her coat to avoid accidental exposure.

"Won't that be a little too warm to wear in the classroom," Alex teased Lena while perspiring sympathetically. "You'll be sweating all day."

"I have plenty of ventilation if I needed it," Lena replied mischievously.

With Eric around, that would only drive the heat up higher, Kara thought.

X X X

Most of the school was still abiding by the dress code, but Kara's classes were almost exclusively populated by freshmen; when Kara arrived at her first period English Literature class, she was thrilled to see that almost everybody had joined the protest.

Nobody had time to talk about their common cause, though, because the class was having it's final exam on Transcendentalist literature. After about a minute of mutual admiration, they sat at their desks with their pens in hand. They furrowed their brows with a level of focus that Kara hadn't seen in them before.

Kara had done her homework this time, and Alex had helped her study last night, so she ended her class pleased at herself for not needing to cheat.

Kara's next class was history, and they had already had their final exam the previous day. Today's class was not needed academically, but it would end up being the most exciting history class of the year.

Kara's teacher was clearly intrigued by the students' disobedience to the dress code, and Kara felt he was on their side. He decided to skip ahead a century in the curriculum and talk about the 1960's, when young people had changed society through their civil disobedience and self-expression. That was clearly an era close to his heart. He taught with more animation than Kara had heard from him all year. He ended his class with his favorite subject: Law.

He described a court case called "Tinker v. Des Moines" where kids wore armbands to school to protest the Vietnam war, and the court let them do it. But he cautioned that civil disobedience was often accompanied by disciplinary action, and freedom always came with a struggle, so be prepared for pushback.

Despite the warning, the kids in the class were inspired. When they had started school today, many of the kids were nervous, especially since the upperclassmen seemed to be against them, but now they felt like they were fighting the good fight.

Kara didn't have any close friends in her history class, but her classmates were much friendlier with her since Monday. Five of the students were also in her biology class, including Bobby and Charlotte, and the six of them walked as a group across the school towards the lab on the first floor.

Charlotte clearly wanted to be Kara's friend, so she walked by Kara's side as they moved from class to class.

"I wish I was as brave as you," she said shyly, so quiet that most people would not have heard her.

"I'm not brave," Kara insisted. She pointed at a girl who was wearing a sheer blouse that barely obscured her liberated b cups. "She's brave."

"Only because you were brave first," Charlotte corrected.

"Well, nobody is getting in trouble today," Kara reassured with a knowing smile, while they joined the human traffic on the stairwell, "so just wear whatever you want."

"I'm not afraid of getting in trouble. I'm just too big to wear anything like that."

Kara glanced quizzically at Charlotte. She wasn't tall or overweight by any means, so she must have been talking about her abundant bosom. "Really? I wish I…"

But Kara couldn't finish the thought. She tripped near the top of the stairs. She had forgotten that she could fly, which was probably just as well, because that would have been difficult to explain. Instead, she tumbled forward with a yelp, slamming her elbows and knees on the concrete steps, until one alert boy blocked her descent.

"Kara!" Charlotte hurried down after her.

Kara was laying awkwardly on the stairs. She looked back up the stairs, beyond Charlotte's frantically descending body, and Kara saw Cookie's new friend Abby glaring back down at her. Then Abby disappeared into the crowd.

"Are you alright?" The boy asked with almost panicked concern. He leaned over and clumsily grabbed her hand with some urgency, but just as quickly he let her go as if touching her was forbidden. "Please be alright!"

Kara finally looked up, and only then recognized that her aspiring hero was, in fact, Bobby.

"I'm OK," Kara said, but then realized that she probably shouldn't be feeling this well. She had fallen down a half flight of stairs. She should be in pain. She let Bobby help her up. What now? How would she have felt after such a fall had she still been on Krypton? She leaned into Bobby as if she had trouble standing on her own, and she put her hand to her head as if in pain. Bobby was all too eager to lend his support. Kara knew that Bobby fancied her, but he was acting like a perfect gentleman, not letting his hands wander.

Kara was not as good of a lady, as she had let her eyes wander. She saw that Bobby had kept his promise, though nobody without X-ray vision would have noticed. Bobby wasn't wearing any underpants under his slacks. Kara knew he had done that for her, though she had never asked him to. He didn't care about the dress code. He only cared about Kara.

"Are you sure you're OK? Were you tripped?" Bobby asked suspiciously. He had probably seen Abby, too.

"I don't know," Kara replied honestly. She suspected she was tripped, but she hadn't actually seen anything.

Charlotte was sure, though. "It was Abby! She's a mean bitch!"

When they arrived at the door to the lab, Lena was stepping out, apparently having sensed something unusual. "What happened?"

"Abby tripped me on the stairs," Kara replied calmly.

Lena shook her head and said, "You can be sure that whatever Abby did, she did it because Cookie wanted it done."

Kara nodded, then straightened up and brushed herself off. "I'm OK now," she told Bobby.

Bobby was reluctant to let her go, which struck Kara as adorable, so she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and a gentle touch on his arm. "Really, thanks, but I'm fine, now."

Finally, he let her go, as though he was gently placing a glass on the edge of a table.

Kara flashed him a quick smile, then the four of them went into the lab and separated into their individual groups.

When Kara and Lena were alone and waiting for Eric to arrive, Lena commented, "You are being very affectionate to Bobby."

Kara shook her head and rolled her eyes with a smile. "It's not like that. He's just very sweet, and he's so happy when I'm nice to him."

Lena warned, "That little kiss meant a whole lot more to him than it did to you."

Kara was about to argue, but then she remembered that Lena had probably read Bobby's mind, so now Kara was concerned. "Oh. Is this going to be a problem?"

Lena shrugged. "Unrequited love is always a problem. Maybe you should remind him that you are only attracted to girls every chance you get."

"I like boys, too," Kara corrected. "It's just that Alex is the one for me."

"You need to be clearer with him than you are being with me," Lena warned.

Kara nodded, as Eric approached, demanding to be filled in on the latest drama.

Mr. Henkey called the class to order, and stared creepily at the female students as they walked to their tables. Apparently the dress code was enacted to keep the teachers and faculty from being distracted, not the boys. Kara didn't care about the creepy stares, though, whether from adults or kids, so long as everyone kept their fingers from creeping.

There was only on more presentation for the semester on the digestive system, and this was delivered by the most straight-laced group in the class, so Kara thought they would finally have a presentation without any controversy.

But she only got to yawn once.

Things got interesting when the speaker for the group explained the various purposes of the digestive organs in terms of Intelligent Design, which had become a scientifically accepted theory once Superman revealed himself (it was very difficult to explain how Natural Selection could produce someone so human-like on a different planet). The school allowed the teaching of the theory, so long as the identity of the designing force remained a philosophical rather than religious debate.

Mr. Henkey, however, was a very conservative teacher who was captivated by the elegance of the old evolutionary theory, and he was determined to engage the students in debate long after the presentation was done.

Everyone seemed to have a strong opinion on the topic, except Kara. The theory of evolution had not existed on Krypton. Instead, her people had believed that the spirit of Rao formed all of creation by its consciousness taking form. But the various creation myths on Earth made just as much or little sense, so she just accepted life as a great big mystery.

When the class finally ended, Mr. Henkey was quite upset, but the students were happy. After all, the students had taken control of all of the presentations, and they rightly felt that what was happening right here during the past few days was transforming the entire school, so when they all left the lab for the final time this semester and headed to the cafeteria, they were filled with a great sense of pride and confidence.

X X X

The situation in the cafeteria was a little different. Freshmen and Sophomores had always congregated on the left side of the room, while Juniors and Seniors sat on the right. It was the same today, except that the cafeteria had never felt so divided. Half of the school had dressed to protest, while the other half followed the rules. Half of the school felt very good about themselves, while the other half were angry at the upstart "kids" who were out of the control. And each half was segregated on different sides, talking only amongst themselves.

Kara watched Cookie from across the room. She appeared to be fuming that her plans to hurt and humiliate Kara had failed. Cookie caught Kara looking at her. Kara stuck out her tongue and then looked away, pretended Cookie wasn't there, and she talked with her friends.

Cindy, Charlotte, Kim and Bobby all sat at the table adjacent to the quartet formerly known as the Freaky Four, and Kara was so thrilled to suddenly have so many friends.

"Do you think we could tell them our secrets?" Kara whispered to Alex, and she braced herself for a harsh response.

Instead, Alex surprised Kara by wrapping her arms around her alien sister and kissing her long and hard on the mouth. Then she replied, "Don't you think we've let them in on enough secrets already?"

X X X

Kara's final exam for the semester was in algebra, which was the only exam she could ace in her sleep. After that, her last class of the day was nothing more than a study period, except that her Spanish teacher insisted that they keep quiet and remain in the room until the final bell rang. Kara was not alone in being barely able to keep her eyes open. What was the point of this? Were they teaching them how to survive vegetating in a waiting room without losing their minds? That was the toughest test yet. Kara couldn't stop biting her fingernails.

FINALLY, the bell rang, and the silent room burst forth with cries of delight. Kara was the first out of the door, and she nearly ran down the halls to her locker, then waited with a big smile until Alex would arrive.

To her surprise, among the first faces she saw was Cookie's, as her nemesis exited the classroom that was just beyond the lockers. Kara stiffened as Cookie approached.

Cookie wore a grey skirt that fell below her knees with a long sleeved sky-blue shirt. Her gorgeous high heels made her tower over Kara. Her image was designed to earn maximum points according to the dress code.

Cookie stopped for a moment to stare down at Kara and say, "Congratulations on dragging this school down into the gutter with you."

"At least it's real down in our gutter," Kara countered, as she watched Bobby approaching from the distance. "Everyone is free in our gutter."

"Oh really," Cookie replied, shaking her head. "Free to throw their lives away?"

Kara was about to reply, when she was struck numb by the expression on Bobby's face, still several yards away. His face wasn't right. Kara looked closer, and she saw that Bobby was holding a box cutter in his pocket, and his glare at Cookie was pure steel.

"Cat got your tongue?" Cookie asked, apparently thinking she had flustered Kara.

But Kara pushed Cookie out of the way and stepped between her enemy and her overly protective fan, who was startled by the interference.

"Hi Bobby," She said simply as she stared into his eyes, and she touched his arm warmly. She was doing exactly what Lena warned her not to do, but Kara felt now was not the time to deliver a hard truth to the boy who apparently loved her so much he might kill for her. Kara had very little experience with love, but she knew that kind of love needed to be handled with special care.

"Hey!" Cookie objected indignantly. "Talk about no manners!"

Kara ignored her and continued talking to Bobby. "Thanks again for helping me earlier. I was really angry with Abby for what she did, but I've already forgotten about it. I guess I'm ready to forgive and forget."

Cookie wisely assessed the situation and slunk away while Kara stood close to Bobby, distracting him.

Kara then realized that she was standing a little too close. Maybe the problem was with those pheromones Eliza always worried about, or maybe Kara underestimated the simple power of being a girl, because now his dick was saluting Kara as vigorously as his loose slacks would allow. She didn't need X-Ray vision to see that.

Bobby noticed that Kara noticed.

"It's okay," Kara quickly reassured him. "Really, I'm … I'm flattered."

But now the shame seemed to overwhelm Bobby, as if he was now exposed to Kara in every way. Kara had seen his intent before he could even act. Kara had rejected his plan. Then Kara had seen the truth about how he felt about her, but she clearly did not feel the same way.

Bobby hurried down the hall towards no place in particular. Kara thought he was trying to get away from Kara and out of her sight, so Kara didn't follow him with her X-ray vision. She closed her eyes and bit her lip, thinking this could be a real problem.

Alex was skipping down the hall towards Kara in full holiday spirit when she caught the tail end of the confrontation.

"Is everything OK?" She asked.

Kara bit her lip. "I think Bobby likes me too much."

"Oh," Alex said, frowning, but she was in too good a mood to stay worried. "At least it's better than if he hated you."

Kara paused. "Maybe."


	17. A Holiday Miracle

Kara and her friends reunited on the Friday before Christmas at the Leesburg mall.

Lena and Eric were both laughing at Kara. Alex was trying to keep a smile from her face, but Eric's mirth was hard for her to resist. Even Kara couldn't keep from laughing at herself, but it wasn't a happy laugh. It was more like the laughter when someone was tickling her, forcing a feeling she didn't want to feel. She should be feeling embarrassed and belittled, and she was frustrated that she couldn't feel that way.

"I'm sorry," Lena said, trying to summon the proper sympathy. "I just can't believe that nobody ever told you!"

"That was our fault," Alex said, as she managed to shake her laughter and got serious. "We thought it was cute during her first Christmas, and then last Christmas, well, my dad had just … Anyway, we didn't really celebrate the holidays last year."

The mention of Jeremiah was enough to wreck the insultingly amused mood. Thankfully.

The mall adventure had started well enough, but when the four had walked past a mall Santa, something had seemed fishy to Kara, so she had looked a little closer at the jolly man. When She saw that his beard wasn't real and that he wore padding over his belly to make himself look fatter, Kara simply stated the obvious, "I don't think that's the real Santa."

And, well, that was how Kara found out there was no Santa.

"I'm sorry," Eric also apologized, "I understand that nobody told you, but … how did you think Santa could visit all of the houses and deliver presents in one day?"

"I don't know." Kara could not meet their gaze. She felt humiliated. "I thought he had powers, like me. I wished I was him because he could make people really happy."

Nobody was laughing anymore. Kara wasn't sure why. Maybe it was because each of the friends had powers, except for Alex, and the idea of Santa didn't seem so silly, suddenly. Or maybe it was because they had all wished they could use their powers and actually help people like Santa could in those Christmas stories.

They paused to watch the mall Santa work, as one child after another sat on his lap.

Lena smiled and said wistfully. "Most of those kids really believe in him."

"That girl just asked him to give her dad a job," Kara said, and her eyes started to wet.

Eric did not have happy memories of Santa growing up. "Maybe we should get away from here before I ruin this for those kids."

"Let's go watch a movie," Alex suggested, as she counted her money. "The matinee prices are really good."

Alex paid Kara's way in, and Lena paid for Eric. Eric wanted to watch Apocalypto or Rocky Balboa, but those were crowded, and being in the presence of so many psychic voices made it difficult for Lena to enjoy movies, so they watched a movie that had been hanging around the cinema for months: "Little Miss Sunshine." Kara could see that the seats for that screen were completely empty, so it was perfect. They got a huge endless bucket of popcorn and a mega-sized Diet Coke and sat down in the back, despite having the pick of any seats in the room.

Kara loved the movie. She imagined the four of them as characters in the movie. Alex was the mom, always trying to be responsible in spite of the craziness around her. Lena was the dad, always having big, crazy ideas. Eric was the emo brother, fighting off the darkness in his soul. And Kara was always the little girl, never feeling like she was contributing, but somehow always at the center of attention.

After the movie, they shopped for a while, seduced by severely marked down holiday merchandise, what with Christmas being only three days away.

Lena bought Eric a new iPod Shuffle for Christmas and Hannukah, since his family had celebrated both when he was young. Eric objected to the gift because he had no money left to give her anything in return.

Eliza had given her girls $30 each as an allowance for Christmas, so they had a little money left to spare for presents.

The sisters had already decided that the only things they would give each other for Christmas were their undivided attention and love; nothing else could begin to compare.

So each girl would spend all of their meager allowance on gifts for other people. Alex decided to buy her mom a bottle of perfume, which she considered a steal for $20 bucks. Kara found a pile of tiny, cheap stockings in the bargain bin that claimed to be 50% off; each stocking was filled with golden chocolate coins. Kara bought four packages of four each.

"Got a sweet tooth?" Lena said, amused by Kara's choice.

"It's not for me," Kara replied. "I just feel bad that there is no Santa, so I thought maybe I could pretend to be Santa myself and give these to people in our neighborhood."

"Are you gonna fly down their chimney and put them over their fireplaces?" Eric replied, amused and half-serious.

"No!" Kara replied, thinking he was making fun of her. "I thought I'd drop it in their mailboxes."

"That's a nice idea," Alex said admirably. "Just don't let anyone recognize you, or mom will get grumpy."

"You can wear my Santa coat!" Lena added, suddenly excited by the idea. "You'll make a cute, little Santa! Here, I still have some money. Let's get the rest of the stockings."

So Lena bought seven more packets, giving Kara 44 stockings.

Kara wondered where Lena was getting all of this money from.

After shopping, they ate pizza at the food court, but after a while, the insane holiday crowds overwhelmed both Kara and Lena with a cacophony of sounds and psychic noise respectively, so they decided to take their party outside.

Just beyond the parking lot was a series of walking paths through woods by a pond, and it was the perfect idyllic place to just hang out. The day was very warm for December, so Alex and Lena unbuttoned their sweaters, while they hiked down a well-worn trail near the water.

They found a wall from what was a large fancy house at one time, overlooking the pond.

"What happened to this house?" Alex asked nobody in particular. "It looks like really rich people lived here a long time ago, but there is nothing left."

"Maybe a fire burned it down," Eric offered. "It's such a nice area, it's amazing that nobody rebuilt it."

Lena sat on what remained of the front porch, while Eric walked to the pond and skipped rocks on the water.

Kara and Alex slipped behind the remains of the house for a bit of privacy. They had never smooched in the lap of mother nature before, so this would be a first, if only they could find a cozy spot to lie down on.

It seemed like every square inch of the ground around them was packed hard and flat, except a slight mound several yards away from the house.

"This looks good," Alex said, already reclining on her side, then adding naughtily. "Get down here, sweet sis!"

Kara smiled as she moved to oblige, but then stopped when she looked at the ground beneath Alex.

"What?" Alex asked. "Don't want to get your sweater dirty?"

"No, there is something under there," Kara explained, as she peered intensely at the ground. "I see a really dark spot and part of it looks like a necklace."

"Necklace?" Lena jumped up from the porch enthusiastically, but then she tempered her excitement. "It's probably just some plastic trinket lost by some little girl."

Alex shook her head. "When Kara sees really black stuff, it usually means a really heavy metal she can't see through, like lead or mercury or gold, and I don't think they make necklaces out of lead."

"Well, how deep down do you think it is?" Eric said as he joined the curious group.

"Only about a foot down," Kara said, as she kneeled and started digging with her hands. The other three joined her after a moment. They found a few pieces of broken bottles, which forced the mere humans to dig more cautiously. Three minutes later, they found the treasure.

First, they found the necklace, which was a lovely, if simple, gold chain supporting a golden heart amulet.

With the necklace was a small wooden box that nearly disintegrated from their touch. Inside were about two handfuls of gold coins, each dated between 1882 and 1901 with the image of Lady Liberty on the head, and a note saying "Five Dollars" on the tail.

Alex gasped.

"There must be two hundred dollars in here!" Kara said excitedly, as she counted the currency.

"There is way more than that!" Eric corrected. "EACH of those coins is worth two hundred dollars these days, at least!"

"Wow," Kara and Alex gasped at the same time.

"Well, what should with do with them?" Alex asked. "Should we find whoever owned this place?"

Lena laughed. "I'm sure they are long dead. Nobody is looking for this money, or they would have found it decades ago. It was barely even hidden. I'm pretty sure this now belongs to Kara."

"Me?" Kara asked, surprised.

"Finders, keepers," Eric said.

"I don't deserve this!" Kara complained.

"What do you want to do with it?" Alex said as she rubbed some of the dirt off of the necklace.

Kara counted the coins until she stopped at 44. It was the same number as the stockings they bought.

"No way!" Lena said.

"Is this destiny?" Eric asked, feeling a sense of awe that encompassed them all.

"They'll even look kind of like the chocolate coins, if we clean them off," Lena added. "Can you imagine some kid, just happy to get some candy, complaining that there is no chocolate in this one?"

Kara smiled. "So I can really be Santa this year?"

Alex asked, slightly disappointed. "Are you going to give them ALL way?"

Kara took the necklace from Alex and put it over her sister's head, resting the golden heart only a few inches away from her lover's living heart.

"We'll keep this," Kara said, as she leaned in to kiss Alex.

When their lips met, Kara pulled Alex down to the ground beside the hole they had dug. They had come here to make out, and despite hitting the jackpot, Kara hadn't changed her mind.

X X X

Kara invited Lena and Eric to come home with them, but Alex knew that Eliza would freak out if she saw them all together, so they planned another get-together on Sunday, the night before Christmas.

In the meantime, Kara and Alex meticulously cleaned all of their treasure until the gold shined brightly.

They spread the stockings out on Kara's bed in four rows. They removed one chocolate coin from each and replaced it with a gold coin.

Now they had a pile of 44 chocolate coins left over, so they put them all in a big bowl and settled down in front of the TV to watch one of their favorite shows, but all they could find were Christmas specials or shows with Christmas themes. They started watching "Grey's Anatomy", and the episode was titled: "Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer."

Their eyes met as they mirrored each other's disappointment.

"I really like Christmas," Kara said, "but sometimes I want to see just a regular show. Right?"

Alex nodded. "Absolutely."

X X X

It was almost midnight on Christmas eve when Lena tossed a pebble at Alex's shiny new window. That was the signal for them to meet outside.

Kara put all of the stockings in a sack, and she looked across the house into Eliza's bedroom.

Eliza was still awake with the door open. She was sipping some spiked eggnog and chatting on the phone.

There was no way past her without being caught, so they climbed out of Alex's window and met their friends in the back yard

Lena gave Kara her Santa coat and hat, saying, "You wanted to be Santa, so here you are."

Eric came with two surprises: A fake beard that could stick to her face, and a pillow they could attach inside the big red coat.

Lena had sizzled in this coat just a few days ago, but Kara wasn't going for sexy tonight.

Once in costume, Kara asked, "How do I look?" as she posed with her sack of presents. She knew her belly looked fake, the way it moved around.

"Totally adorable," Lena replied.

"So should we check our list and find out who has been naughty or nice," Eric asked.

Kara shook her head. "I'm not that kind of Santa. Everyone deserves a present."

So they walked slowly down the street, moving from door to door, and Kara delivered sweets and riches to each home they passed.

Some houses had locked mailboxes, so Kara would put the present behind the storm door if possible. One house didn't even have a storm door, so she hung the stocking from the door knob.

As they turned onto another street, they entered a poorer neighborhood.

They were frustrated by one apartment building where every mailbox was locked, and the door inside the porch was locked as well, so their Santa couldn't get to any of six apartments in the building. There was no place to put the stocking such that the residents would know who the gifts were for.

Eric suggested that they skip on to the next home; there were many more houses in Leesburg than Kara had stockings for.

But Kara knew these were probably the poorest residents around, and they would appreciate this gift more than anyone.

"What can we do?" Alex asked, with little hope.

"We have a super powered Santa here, and you have so little faith?" Lena asked.

But Kara had little faith in herself, too. So she stared at the locked door as if it was a vault. "But how can I get inside?"

"You can do it," Eric prompted with a reassuring smile that bolstered Kara's confidence. "Think outside the box."

Nothing promising came to mind, so Kara concentrated and let her senses open up.

Voices that were background noise came to the fore, and for once she listened to them, while she scanned the building with her eyes.

A young couple two rooms away were apparently celebrating Christmas while smoking a joint. "Where is the Chinese food, already, I'm so fucking hungry!" the boy asked. "We only ordered it a few minutes ago, right?" the girl replied. "Really?" "I don't fucking know."

Kara walked over to the row of buzzers and pressed one for a room on the second floor.

"Hello?" Replied a sleepy voice.

"Sorry, I pressed the wrong button," Kara replied.

The voice cursed a few times, then cut off.

Kara tried another button, and this time she saw someone in the room jump up to answer.

"Yeah?" the speaker yelled.

"Did you order Chinese food?" Kara asked.

"Finally," was the response, and the door unlocked.

"I knew you could do it!" Lena said supportively, while she petted the little Santa on the back, and handed her the sack.

Kara's friends remained on the porch, while Kara hurried inside.

She quickly placed one stocking after another on each doorknob on the first floor, then began to do the same on the second floor, when she ran into the stoned couple that had just let her into the building. They were waiting outside of their apartment, hungry for Kung Pao Shrimp and Crab Rangoon, when a funny looking Santa climbed out of the stairwell.

"Hey, Santa," the man said too loudly and laughed. "Did you see a Chinese guy around here?"

Kara didn't reply but just handed him a stocking.

"Fucking A," the man said when he noticed the chocolate coins inside. "Want to party for a bit, little Santa baby?"

Kara smiled and shook her head. She put another stocking on the other two doors. Just as she stepped back into the stairwell, the couple's voices called after her excitedly, "Hey Santa!"

Kara darted down the steps almost faster than the sound of their voices, afraid of a confrontation.

She stopped in her tracks when she emerged on the first floor, as a heavyset man in his pajamas emerged from his room, rubbing his bloodshot eyes. "What in hell is going on out here? Who are you?"

Kara fled to the front door, where her friends were waiting. "Come on!" she urged as she bolted right by them.

All four scurried from the porch and nearly ran over a girl carrying Chinese food, while an angry voice yelled after them, "Yeah, you'd better run, and don't let me catch you delinquents trespassing again or you'll be sorry!"

When they were halfway down the street, Alex asked breathlessly, "Why are we running?"

They slowed to a stop, and Kara thought about that for a moment. "I don't know. He just saw me and started shouting, so I got scared."

Lena laughed. "I guess Santa has a reputation for breaking and entering."

Everyone laughed.

Kara looked back at the apartment and stared inside. "His yelling woke everyone up," Kara described, "and they are finding the stockings and talking about them."

Everyone stared at the building and walked back for a better look.

Lena closed her eyes and took it in. "They are talking about the coins," she said. "One lady thinks it's a miracle, because now maybe she can afford to have her surgery."

Everyone was quiet for a moment, then Lena laughed suddenly. "She wants to get a boob job."

Alex laughed, "What a Christmas miracle!"

Kara didn't think it was so funny. "Well, I'm glad I made her happy," she said as she started walking up the road, forcing her friends to hurry after her. "We still have four stockings left."

They crossed the main road in Leesburg and entered a much fancier neighborhood.

The first house was magnificent.

"I think a gold coin would be spare change for these people," Alex said, disgusted even with the idea of adding to their bank account.

But they all noticed a car in the driveway that was out of place. The old Honda Tercel showed rust at the bottom, but otherwise was sparkling clean both inside and out, like a homeless man trying to look his best for a job interview.

The car door was unlocked, so Kara opened it a crack and dropped the stocking on the driver's seat.

The next building was a synagogue.

"Do you think they'd want a Christmas present?" Alex asked Eric directly, since his mom had been Jewish.

"I'm sure they'll make good use of it," Eric said. He took the stocking up to the temple himself, which seemed more appropriate than a Santa doing it.

The next house was almost invisible, far away from the road, with a mailbox sitting on a post at the street. They stuffed the stocking inside and raised the flag, signifying that the residents had mail.

The final house on the street was very familiar to Kara and Alex. This was Cookie's house.

Alex, Lena and Eric didn't even pause. They intended to walk right on by.

But Kara reached into her sack and withdrew the last stocking.

"You have to be kidding," Lena said. "I'm pretty sure she's on the naughty side of the list."

"Maybe if people did nice things for her she wouldn't be so mean," Kara said forgivingly.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Alex asked, ready to support whatever Kara wanted.

Kara nodded.

"You are a better person than me," Lena said solemnly.

Kara's friends slunk back behind some bushes, as Kara carried the stocking to the front porch very slowly, as though she expected something to jump out at her at any moment.

The porch was wide and deep, making Kara feel like she was invading the house when she reached the front door. The mailbox was a simple slot that dropped the mail into the house. When Kara slipped the stocking inside, a window off to Kara's right opened abruptly.

Cookie stared at the cute Santa and asked, "What are you doing?" She was more curious than she was upset.

Kara replied in a terribly fake deep voice, "Merry Christmas."

Cookie closed the window and started walking towards the door, so Kara hurried off the porch and towards the street.

The front door opened just as Kara met her friends behind the bushes, and all four hastened down the street.

A moment later they heard Cookie yelling something that stopped them dead in their tracks: "Merry Christmas!"


	18. Dreaded Feminine Wiles

Eliza put on a happy face all of the way through Christmas, but the girls could see the sadness eating away at her. It was only one year ago, a couple weeks before Christmas, when the phone had rung delivering that terrible news: Jeremiah had died.

"He had always loved Christmas so much," Eliza said to Alex, ignoring Kara's presence.

Kara understood. She had only shared one Christmas with the whole Danvers family, but Eliza didn't know how much that day had meant to Kara. Jeremiah had showered her with love and presents, and she had felt the same love for him. That was when she had realized that she could embrace a new father without dishonoring her dad on Krypton.

Now, the day after Christmas, someone called on the home phone. Eliza was busy cutting onions, while Kara and Alex were having a blast playing tennis using a cool new video game console they got for Christmas. They pretended to not hear the insistent ringing of the phone. Eventually it stopped. The call went to the answering machine.

Kara and Alex stopped playing when they heard a familiar voice on the speaker urging all parents to attend the PTA meeting scheduled for the following day.

The two girls faced each other with alarm, conversing with their eyes. Was this meeting planned recently? Did the school usually urge parents to their meetings? One thing they did not question at all was the topic that would dominate the meeting: The school dress code.

The girls were not overly concerned. For one thing, they were having too much fun playing games to worry about what they would be wearing to school next week. Besides, Eliza had never gone to a PTA meeting since she had become a single parent. The meeting was set for 4 PM, which didn't give Eliza enough time to finish work, drive home, then race to the meeting. They didn't think Eliza would be motivated enough to shuffle things around and attend.

They were wrong.

Eliza had driven directly from work to the school the next afternoon, and when she finally returned home at 8 PM, the girls could tell by the look on their mom's face that the holiday spirit had officially left their happy home.

X X X

Often when Eliza blew a gasket, Alex was the object of her wrath, but today it was directed only at Kara. The look in Eliza's eyes made Kara worry about the truth of any kind things Eliza had ever said to her.

At first, Eliza calmly explained to the nervous girls what the meeting was about: The school was concerned about flagrant disregard for the dress code, so the administration had drawn up a new "modern" dress code and was encouraging parents to set the students on the right path.

Eliza's voice acquired an edge when she described some reports of a few girls who "went too far and distracted the boys with inappropriate exposure". Finally she stated with damning certitude. "Some girls weren't even wearing panties."

She glared at Kara accusingly, apparently knowing more than she would say. Kara could not meet her eyes, confirming her suspicions.

"I should have known better than let you go out in those tiny skirts," Eliza fumed. Eliza's words suggested that she was accepting some of the blame, but her tone laid all the blame on Kara. "What did I expect? Of course you wouldn't dress like that and then pretend to be shy, but I had hoped you had some limits and would not act like an animal in heat! I don't know if it's how they taught you on Krypton, or if Kryptonians have some kind of slut gene, but something is going to have to change!"

Kara covered her face and fled into her bedroom.

She heard Alex standing up to her mom, matching her mom's anger in defense of her sister, while Kara curled up on the bed and covered herself with a blanket, wanting to disappear.

Finally, Alex closed the door and quietly climbed on the bed behind her. There was little for her to say after the unprecedented abuse laid upon Kara by her mother, so she shhh'd and cooed and whispered, "It's okay, everything will be alright."

Kara shook her head and condemned herself. She tried really hard not to cry, but the tears just forced their way out. "No, it won't. I'm bad. Maybe I really do have a slut gene or something. Do you think that is real?"

"What is real is that you are the kindest, most loving, most giving person I know," Alex whispered while futily wiping Kara's tears, spreading the wetness until it was a gloss lighting up Kara's face. She continued, "You like sharing yourself a little more than some people will like, but that's not a fault with you."

Kara rolled over and faced Alex. "But you don't like it, either."

Alex bit her lip. "I'm just afraid that if you give too much of yourself, you won't have enough left over for me."

"That's impossible," Kara said, as she pulled Alex so close to her that their hearts almost touched. "Because you are a part of me."

X X X

Eliza spent the next hour in her bedroom, staring at her computer like she could find answers to all of her problems if she just googled the right questions.

When Eliza finally emerged, she seemed to realize that she had crossed some kind of line. She made dinner for her daughters -Kara's favorite pasta- and then she slipped back into her bedroom and stayed there the rest of the night.

Kara accepted the food. It was so like Eliza that she could recognize her foster mom again. She was not nearly ready to forgive, though, especially not without a real "I'm sorry", but that pasta was a nice gesture.

The girls carried their dinner into the bedroom, being careful to not spill the runny tomato sauce as they shared the keyboard and mouse when conversing on MySpace.

Both girls found they were invited to a newly created group called: "Next they'll make us wear burkas."

There were only thirteen members so far in the group, but it was growing by the minute, and the Danvers girls added two more.

The first message was a link to the school's new dress code, followed by the words: "Fu-ck this!" Then several more messages mirrored the sentiment. As more members joined, the conversation kicked into gear:

Cindy: I've got the coolest mom. She just says the coolest shit. She said that dress codes keep boys socially illiterate, and boys need to learn how to deal with their feelings and not blame everything on the girls.

Kim: True! Dress codes don't teach anyone anything.

Cindy: Except how to not take responsibility.

Gary: jeez I hate the dress codes too but cut the feminist shit and just wear those tight pants already

Cindy: Screw you! If that's all you want from girls Gary, you'll never get into those tight pants you drool over

Gary: whateva

Kim: You can think any way you want, Gary. It's about much more than dressing sexy. They want to control everything, even who we are. Don't get mad at me if I wear a tuxedo and I won't get mad at you for wearing a dress.

Gary: GROSS!

Cindy: You just don't get it Gary. They think you can't handle seeing a sexy girl without turning into a horny zombie or see someone who is different without getting all intolerant. They think you'll go on a raping spree, just because you see a girl's shoulders, and all of society will fall apart. Prove them wrong.

Gary: thats crazy, I just think girls are hot, but that doesnt mean I cant control myself. If a girl says no, I always stop

Cindy: Well, that's a start, but you still have a lot to learn.

Gary: whateva

Emily: Has anyone actually read the new dress code? It's like puritan! No shoulders and no collar bones. Long sleeves and long pants only. Skirts have to be below the knee. They got rid of the underwear loophole. Now we have to wear exactly what kind of underwear they want us to wear. I'm just not doing it! :(

Cindy: Me neither. When we go back on Wednesday, I'm gonna wear a strapless top with hotpants. I hope they send me home.

Kim: Sigh. I'm just gonna wear what I always wear. That was always OK before.

Andi: I've been wearing the same jeans for three years. I'm not stopping now just because someone doesn't like the look of my rear end.

Cindy: Welcome aboard! If we have the seniors on our side, they can't stop us! :)

Kim: This is not going to be easy. Just a warning. My mom is all like on board with the school. She says it's about time the school did something because the girls all dress like whores. :(

Kara: My mom called me a slut today.

Cindy: That's terrible, Kara! I'm so lucky to have a supportive mom. Women are their own worst enemies, she says.

Alex: Mom was out of line. I couldn't believe she said that, but I think she really cares for Kara. She was having a bad day.

Kim: Your mom called you a slut, Kara? That is so wrong!

Cindy: Hey, Kim, you called me a slut just yesterday.

Kim: Yeah, but you're my friend and you know I love you xoxo

Cindy: Oh, I guess it's OK, then :)

Bobby: Kara, I'm so sorry.

Kara: It's OK, Bobby.

Bobby: I would never think of you like that.

Kara: I know.

Bobby: I just think you are so beautiful and sexy. I know you don't think of me like that, but I can't stop thinking about you.

Kara: Its OK Bobby. You are really nice, and I like you, but I'm in love with Alex. You can jerk off when you think of me, if you want to. You can have that. That would be nice.

Cindy: Wow! What just happened here? Can we get back to dress codes?

Alex had gone to the kitchen while Kara was typing. She returned with two glasses of ice water. She handed one glass to Kara, as she sat down.

Then she caught up with the conversation on the MySpace group.

"Oh, Bobby's back," Alex said matter-of-factly, and then her jaw dropped. "Did you really say that? Jerk off? It would be nice? Do you know what jerking off means?"

Kara nodded. "Yeah, it's when a boy touches himself until the baby juice comes out."

Alex's eyes still registered shock. "You actually want him to do that when he's thinking of you?"

"Why not?" Kara shrugged. "That's considered a compliment on Krypton."

Alex laughed uncomfortably. "First you showed him your goods! Now you tell him to think about that image when he jerks off! And you told him in front of everyone on MySpace! What were you thinking?"

"On Krypton, this was how we did things. Being in love was always good, no matter who you were in love with. But most of time, people would fall in love with the wrong person, and when someone we don't love falls in love with us, we would offer ourselves for their fantasies, so they could get on with their lives," Kara explained accurately, almost translating what she had learned, but now she was shrinking away from Alex's stare. "Do you think that makes me a slut?"

Alex's eyes immediately softened. "No! No! We just never do that on Earth. We just ignore obsessed boys, and we definitely don't flirt with them. Maybe your way is better, because our ways don't work so great."

X X X

They still had five more days of holiday break, so Eliza let the girls sleep in the next day when she headed off to work. The girls spooned under the blankets until the doorbell roused them from their sleep.

"What the hell," Alex complained as she looked at the clock beside the bed. "It's not even 9 o'clock!"

Kara looked through the wall. "It's Lena."

"I thought we were meeting them downtown for lunch," Alex said, as she rolled off of the bed and adjusted her pajamas.

Kara smiled at the exaggerated way Alex objected to the intrusion, then she rolled off of the bed and followed Alex to the door.

"I'm sorry I woke you up," Lena said even before Alex had opened the door.

"It's okay," Kara replied.

Alex maintained her sour face, until she saw that Lena was holding out a cup of coffee for each of them, and then all was forgiven.

Lena walked through the door as though she had been invited. "Has your mom been gone long?"

"I don't know," Alex replied, "maybe an hour. Why are you here?"

"I want to get some girl time before we catch up with Eric," Lena offered, then got closer to the truth: "I saw your comments on MySpace last night."

"Oh," Kara replied cautiously, bracing for more judgement. "I'm sorry, it was stupid."

Lena shook her head. "Not necessarily. It was interesting. I didn't know what to make of it, so I decided to find out. Did you know that Bobby only lives about five blocks from here? I walked by his house just before I came here. Well, it was more like loitering, because I did some in depth spying into his head. Bobby is doing better than I expected. Don't get me wrong, he is still smitten, but he doesn't feel ashamed or angry anymore. He just longs for Kara, jerks off, and then feels at peace."

"Oh jeez," Alex complained, rolling her eyes. "Do we have to talk about this?"

"Believe me, this is much better than what usually happens," Lena replied, "but sure, we can drop it. I just thought you'd want to know that I think Bobby will be better, now."

"I'm just tired of people thinking of my sister as a slut," Alex said.

"Bobby doesn't think of her that way," Lena corrected, "but yeah I saw that your mom said that. What was that about?"

"She found out that I wasn't wearing panties at school," Kara replied.

"Oh, that's bad," Lena agreed, "but that's not enough for a mom to call her daughter a slut. I mean, that's harsh."

"Mom is going through a hard time right now," Alex excused. "Dad died this time last year."

Lena stared through the clouds in Alex's mind. "There is more to it than that, isn't there?"

Alex stiffened, and her mind locked.

"I'm sorry!" Lena said quickly. "Sometimes I can't stop myself. But you know something you wish you didn't know."

Kara looked at Alex with curious alarm. "What? What is it?"

Alex looked away. "I-I don't know. I really don't. It's just… I don't want to think about this."

Lena frowned. "This isn't the first time your mom called you a slut, Kara."

Kara crossed her arms, and she looked at Alex. "But why? You know something?"

Alex took a deep breath. "It's just some scientific stuff she's worked on. Biology. She has some theories."

"What? She thinks I was born a slut?"

"I don't know!" Alex insisted. "Tell her Lena! You know I don't know why."

Lena nodded. "But you know how to find out."

X X X

The three girls stood in Eliza's bedroom staring at the laptop. Eliza was old fashioned, writing her passwords on a sticky note in her top drawer, but the girls would have guessed the password quickly enough if they had needed to: "Jeremiah."

Alex sat down at the keyboard, while Kara and Lena assisted over her shoulder.

"We're going to get caught," Alex warned, but she was already diving in. She double-clicked her way through Explorer, looking for Eliza's document folder.

"Check the recent files in Word," Lena suggested.

Alex did as suggested. The most recently accessed document was named: "Journal - Kara - 5 - Sexual characteristics and behavior".

When Alex opened the document, they saw that the document was recorded in chronological order, with a date posted above each page.

The first page was dated only a week after Kara first moved into the Danvers home.

Lena started reading the page out loud, as Alex scrolled from page to page:

February 12, 2004:

Our new daughter appears to be a normal 11 or 12 year old human girl.

Kara has an aversion to tight clothes, to clothes with layers, and to any kind of underwear. She only feels comfortable in gowns. If my translations are correct, Kara tells me that clothes on Krypton were only used for protection, warmth or to indicate social status. In fact, she says that wearing clothes for any other reason was considered shameful. We will have to re-educate her on this attitude. Around the house, she feels comfortable walking around completely naked. My first thought was that Kryptonians might have a nudist mentality, but Kara does not shy away from sexually suggestive behavior. She seems to understand the sexual significance of walking around in the nude, but she doesn't understand why anyone would have a problem with it. I'm not sure if this means that Krypton is enlightened regarding sexuality or is held captive by it.

May 3, 2004:

Kara had her first period yesterday. I was not able to examine the discharge, but the event seemed indistinguishable from a normal Earth girl's period. Kara's height and physiological development lag behind her sexual age. She appears to be significantly underweight, so I will increase her caloric intake until I see improvement.

September 15, 2004:

Kara is going through a growth spurt. She has grown four inches since she has arrived, and her body is beginning to fill out to an adolescent shape. By all appearances, she is a perfectly healthy 13 or 14 year old Earth girl, but there are a few notable differences. Usually by this age, girls develop body hair, acne and body odor. As of yet, Kara is not plagued by these curses. She has developed a subtle inoffensive scent that our family cat seems to be drawn to. She is also talking more like an American girl, with a growing vocabulary and a fading accent. I now feel like I can take her on our normal family activities and she can fit in without drawing much attention.

December 29, 2004:

Kara has grown another inch since September, and her body is filling out nicely. She is expressing interest in sexual topics: Her interest is peaked when anything sexual appears on TV, and she asks a lot of questions about how she should feel about sexual subjects. In that way, she is very much like any other teenager in puberty. She shows little interest in her other, more unique physical attributes.

She is picking up on the usual teenaged flirty behaviors, but she hasn't quite figured out when to use them, yet. Jeremiah bought her a huge teddy bear for Christmas and Kara thanked him with a rather flirty kiss.

June 1, 2005:

Maybe I am being paranoid. I have noticed an alarming attraction between Jeremiah and Kara.

Last week, I caught Jeremiah watching Kara leaning over to pick up a DVD that had fallen on the floor. Then, yesterday, he was ogling at Kara who had just put on her first bikini and showed it off in front of him. When he saw that I had noticed, he quickly made the innocuous observation that our new daughter was growing up fast. Tonight Kara was wearing only an oversized t-shirt, which we have been tolerating. She sat very close to Jeremiah as we watched television. Jeremiah's posture indicated that he felt uncomfortable. He did the right thing by playfully scruffling her hair then leaving the room, but he was clearly stimulated.

July 12, 2005:

I can't be objective right now, but I feel I need to record what happened in detail.

Our whole family took a vacation at a beach house to celebrate the Fourth of July. The fireworks were a spectacular show, but the vacation went downhill after that.

The beach house was very small, so our family spent the entire week in close proximity. I asked Kara to wear more suitable clothing for the vacation, but even dressed in a loose t-shirt and shorts, she was making Jeremiah anxious. When the girls played on the beach, Jeremiah could not seem to keep his eyes off of her.

When confronted, he confessed that he was feeling sexually attracted to our step daughter.

I asked him why, since Kara is barely even developed. Jeremiah had never expressed hebephilic attraction to underaged girls before.

His attraction to Kara was a mystery to him as well. He didn't think it was a big deal, but I insisted we talk about it. We have compiled a long list of stimuli and theories to explain it. 1) Kara is a fascinating scientific subject, and perhaps that fascination morphed into attraction, 2) Kara has no other men in her life, so she is naturally drawn to him as she develops, 3) Kara's mannerisms are exotic, and she seems to be flirting with him in unfamiliar ways, 4) her scent has a subtle, perhaps unconscious effect, 5) her body is unusually warm, which makes her presence even more noticeable in proximity.

He claims that he would never act on this attraction. It is simply a biologic response, he says, and that he still thinks of Kara as his daughter. I think I believe him. I need to believe him. But even if I do, I am worried what that means for our relationship and our future as a family. I've always known this was a possibility when adopting an older daughter. Without the Westermarck effect, he is not immune to whatever charms she might have. Whenever we are in bed, I worry that he is thinking of our adopted daughter.

July 22, 2005:

I am happy to report that we have made two breakthroughs, and I am really feeling better about our family.

First, we have hired an etiquette tutor to teach Kara appropriate behavior around the house. Kara really likes her teacher, and is taking the lessons very seriously. She is a fast learner.

Second, several experiments have demonstrated that Kara has special pheromones that generate affection in animals. I am hopeful that a neutralizing agent could eliminate any effect this might have on my husband.

July 31, 2005:

Kara's caseworker has informed us that some government agency is snooping around Kara's background, so we have agreed that we need to work harder to identify any areas where Kara might stand out in a public setting.

Despite the etiquette lessons and requiring that Kara wash regularly with a strong body wash, Jeremiah still feels some attraction to Kara. He claims to be over it now, but I believe he is only trying to reassure me. I can see it in his eyes.

I can only deduce that Kara has sexual charms or behaviors we have not identified yet.

August 20, 2005:

Middle school seemed like a perfect place to teach Kara how to fit in with her peers and create a healthy distance between her and Jeremiah, but Kara was not ready. According to Alex, Kara was a total embarrassment in school. It was like she forgot everything she had learned about etiquette. She flirted with both boys and girls. She had no sense of decency. She ate voraciously at lunch. She even flaunted her powers. I am worried that whoever has been looking for her might come knocking at our door.

We have decided to home-school her until at least spring semester. She needs to learn discipline and confidence.

September 1, 2005:

We hired the etiquette teacher again, but she is frustrated with Kara during her new lessons. Introducing Kara to school so early appears to have been a big mistake. It has created a lot of tension between Kara and Alex. Kara is throwing tantrums, which can be a little scary. She is acting inappropriately, reverting to her old habits, and she is crying a lot. We need to find a therapist we can trust.

September 30, 2005:

Kara is back to being her sweet self again. She is a joy to be around, except that she is very jealous when Alex is away at school. She waits for her sister like a puppy waits for its master.

I fear that Kara might be becoming sexually attracted to her sister, and I need to cut this in the bud. I have created a concoction with baking powder, lemon and a touch of garlic to counter the affects of her pheromones. Jeremiah has agreed to turn his study into a bedroom for Alex, so the girls can have their own, separate spaces.

October 10, 2005:

I am very upset. Let me say that up front.

Despite all of our warnings, Kara decided to show off her powers with a late night flight to impress Alex. The display caught the attention of a government agency, and now Jeremiah is forced to work for them to protect Kara.

This is my fault. I have been too lenient on Kara.

February 2, 2006:

Kara has been wonderful during the past month. I know that we probably would not be in this situation now if not for Kara's adolescent angst. Jeremiah would still be alive. The government wouldn't be constantly harrassing us. It's all because Krypton raised their girls to act like sluts. But I can't blame Kara for that. She's as much a victim as we are. She has been a darling lately. I love her as though she was my own. I feel so confused.

August 10, 2006:

It's back to school for Kara. I feel good about her prospects this year. She has really matured. She has learned how to be a proper Earth girl. She is shy about her body and seems eager to fit in and wear the popular clothes and make friends. She is even wearing her 'perfume', though I know she doesn't like it. She won't attract too much attention, but she has become very pretty, so I'm hopeful she won't have much trouble making friends.

October 1, 2006:

Kara has been struggling to make friends. She is doing much better than she was a year ago, but I see the same behaviors rearing their ugly heads. She comes home every day feeling extremely depressed, like she can't do anything right. She hates her body, but she wants to wear shorter skirts and sexier tops, anyway. I don't like it, but 'everyone else is wearing them' she says, so I guess it's OK. She only wants to be accepted.

Alex is being worse. It's very confusing. The girls are either inseparable or can't stand the sight of each other, and I never predict which from day to day.

November 30, 2006

It has been a tough year for both girls so far at school. Alex's grades have suffered, and the teachers tell me that Kara is very distracted, but I feel like things are improving. The girls are getting along better. Kara is no longer depressed. She is dressing too provocatively for my liking. I was upset that she went to school without a bra, but Alex told me that lots of girls did that. Maybe I'm being too old fashioned. At least she is taking pride in her appearance again.

December 17, 2006:

I don't know what to do. I caught the girls in the act, making out like animals in the hallway. Kara has been disobeying me and refusing to wear the cure for her pheromones. Alex has been lying to me about how she felt about her sister. I can't say that I'm surprised though. The signs were everywhere.

Alex is mostly innocent here. She was captivated by Kara's pheromones, which are much stronger than I had feared, and Alex is willing to help me bring Kara back to the moral path. We need to be forgiving, because Kara has never known any other way.

December 20, 2006:

The girls are openly defying me. They are determined to share the same bed, and they claim to be in love. I don't know what to do. I know Alex is not homosexual, but I guess she needs to figure this out for herself. I have not encountered any situations like this in the literature. Being that one of my daughters is an alien, it's safe to say that we are in uncharted territory.

December 27, 2006:

I don't know what to do with Kara. I have just found out that she has been dressing obscenely at school, and she might have even whipped the school up into an immoral frenzy with sexual powers I never imagined she could possess. This is a complete disaster. I'm afraid for Kara most of all, because I don't think she understands what she is doing. God knows I love her even after all of this. She will always be my daughter, but if she keeps going down this path, the government will probably take her away from us.

Alex tried to move on to the next page, but that was the end. It was a terrible place for Eliza to stop.

Kara had listened calmly, but she seemed to have endless tears dripping down her face. She had never felt so full of shame and guilt before. "She hates me," Kara choked out the words.

"No she doesn't!" Alex insisted, while reaching out to embrace Kara. "Didn't you hear? She just said that she loves you."

"But she hates everything about me," Kara insisted.

Alex hesitated before responding. "She just needs to know that we are trying to be normal and not draw attention to ourselves. If we act like normal sisters and not make any waves at school, I know she'll forgive both of us."

Lena frowned. "It's worse than that. She is afraid of Kara."

Kara covered her face, suddenly feeling like a monster.

Alex sneered at Lena. "You are not helping! We need to fix things!"

"No you don't," Lena insisted.

Kara and Alex stared at Lena in surprise.

"You didn't do anything wrong, Kara," Lena said. "The problems are all in your mom's imagination. This is just like with the dress code at school."

"What do you mean?" Kara asked.

"The parents and school are terrified because the girls are trying to look beautiful. The adults think that the boys can't handle it, but most boys are handling it fine, and those that are not need to learn how to, and they'll never learn if they bring in a new dress code," Lena explained. "Don't you see? This is just like your mom's reaction to what both of you are doing. You are not the first lesbians in the school, and believe it or not, plenty of girls have flashed friends in school. Maybe not so brazenly, but the kids can handle it. There is no reason for you guys to change who you are. All you have done is be yourself at school, and that's nothing to be ashamed of and maybe it is even something other people should learn from."

"But what if the government people find out what we have done?" Kara asked.

"What would they find out? That two step sisters are in love with each other, and one of them doesn't like to wear panties? Maybe Agent Mulder might be able to see aliens behind that scenario, but nobody else will."

Kara and Alex chuckled. They were both X-Files fans, and Lena was right. Suddenly, they were no longer sure what their mom was worried about.

"So Eliza is wrong?" Kara asked hopefully. Reading minds really made Lena smart about this stuff. "Will everything be okay?"

Lena shrugged. "She is worried about your sexuality, just like moms always do. She has made a monster out of that fear, but I think this is something she just needs to come to terms with."

Lena clicked opened the history on the computer. "There are other documents about Kara in here, like 'powers' and 'education'."

"I think we've already invaded my mom's privacy enough," Alex said, as she pushed Lena away from the computer and then shut it down. "I wish we never even looked at this."  
Kara nodded in agreement.


	19. Believing in People

"Calm the fuck down!" Lena almost shouted, and her friends fell silent from the surprising demand. She said more quietly to Eric, "Take a deep breath."

Eric did as he was told, and all four friends got their emotions under control.

The feelings had built up over the last hour.

The three girls had barely said a word to each other after closing Eliza's laptop computer. There had been too much to digest. Too many questions. Too much hurt. Too many memories had new meanings. So they had reassured each other of their love and friendship, and everything that had happened in the past was forgiven if not forgotten, and then they had just clammed up.

Lena had encouraged the girls to talk about what had been bothering them, but they had been too afraid, as though their love had been too fragile to handle any more revelations.

The three girls had walked twenty minutes to the mall, and Kara and Alex refused to talk as they walked the whole distance holding hands. Lena had been barely able to even read Alex's thoughts, because Alex had been burying her thoughts deep, preferring to relive happy memories with the harsh new information constantly bubbling to the surface, then pushed down again. To Lena, the psychic stream of consciousness had felt like listening to a radio that was tuned halfway between two stations.

The walk had been torture for all of them. Unlike the Danvers sisters, Lena had not been able to handle the silent tension, so she had babbled on about dress codes, their Christmas adventure, and anything else that came to mind to fill the pregnant silence.

When they had finally met up with Eric in the food court and took their seats, each of them had held a pizza slice in one hand and a glass of juice or soda in the other, yet they maintained their silence until Eric had finally asked them directly what was wrong.

"What isn't wrong?" Alex had responded, trying to make a joke, but nothing funny came to mind, only pain. "Everything is one big lie."

Finally, Alex had spoken up, telling of how their mom had shamed Kara last night, and then how her mom's notes exposed the underbelly of her family history.

That did not go over well with Eric.

Eric's start in life had been a very unhappy one with a revolving door of poorly chosen fathers for himself and for his older half-sister. Two of those potential fathers had molested his sister, while a third forced her to run away, eventually to the police, breaking up the family.

So hearing about Jeremiah's attraction to Kara did not go over well.

"Your dad should have been castrated!" Eric had almost yelled in the cafeteria, "And your mom is just as bad for staying with him!"

"You don't know him!", Alex yelled at Eric in defense of her dad. "Dad was a good man! He would never hurt anyone!"

"You're fooling yourself!" Eric hissed as he pounded his fist on the table. "These pervs will hug you, and you think they are just big teddy bears. They get you to tell them your secrets, then they tell you theirs until you think you have a special connection. Then they do whatever they fucking want, while you die a little every day, thinking it's all your fault!"

"He never touched me," Kara whispered insistently, but she felt that she was being torn apart. Her shame and hopelessness prodded her heart like a spear, and she felt like she could barely breathe.

Eric continued, his voice rising, as the emotional temperature in the room rose: "They are all fucking monsters! He deserved to die!"

The flames of Eric's fury were growing into a wildfire that was already spreading throughout the food court.

Lena had walked through the flames of Eric's emotions many times before. She put on her fireman suit and stepped into the inferno. "Calm the fuck down! Relax! Take a deep breath."  
Eric clenched his teeth and snapped, "I just can't stand how people put up with this … this fucking evil shit!"

Alex looked like she wanted to bash Eric's head in, but Lena intervened. "Mr. Danvers was not a bad man," Lena insisted, "and he would never have hurt either of his daughters."

Everyone stared at Lena, amazed at her unequivocal declaration.

Eric wasn't quite buying it, though. "How can you know that? You've never met either their mom or dad, so you couldn't have read their minds."

"Sure I can," Lena replied. "Kara and Alex could read her mind, too, while we read those notes. Those notes were their mother's thoughts, not meant for anyone else to read, so she had nothing to hide. Yes, Mrs. Danvers said that their dad thought Kara was attractive. It worried her a lot, but she never seemed worried for Kara. She was only worried that it meant that her husband wasn't attracted to her anymore. She's a smart woman, and she wrote over and over that she loved Kara, so if she thought anything might happen or was happening, she would have at least hinted at it. Instead, all she thought about were ways to make Kara less attractive. She was only worried that Kara was distracting her husband from herself."

Eric thought about that hard, as the whole mood at the table settled, but he was not quite convinced. "My caseworker said that guys who like kids can't be cured."

"Maybe guys who touch little kids can't be cured," Lena agreed. "But that's not the same thing. Everyone gets attracted to someone they shouldn't be even thinking about. Even you. I can't read your mind, but it's obvious you are hot for our French class teacher. You are always in the front row, staring at her legs and ass, but I'll bet if she invited you into her office and she sat on your lap, puckering up, you wouldn't even kiss her."

Eric's embarrassment almost extinguished his anger. Almost. "Miss Reid is a teacher. Mr. Danvers was Kara's father. That's totally different."

"He always acted like Kara's father," Lena insisted. "He never even let her feel like he was attracted to her, did he Kara?"

Kara shook her head. "He was really nice to me, that's all."

"He would never do anything like that!" Alex said emphatically, now more confident than ever.

Lena nodded. "I'm sure he wouldn't. Real creeps don't just look every once in awhile. They act. They rationalize. They lie. They find excuses to touch. They only care how they feel. Does that sound like your dad?"

"He died because he wanted to protect us," Alex said, choking on her words.

Kara nodded emphatically.

Eric looked down. "I wouldn't know what that is like," he said, reflecting. "My mom brought home one guy after another, and they all touched me with their fists or my sister with their dicks."

Kara touched Eric's arm, but Eric tensed up, so she pulled her hand back.

"What happened to your sister?" Alex asked.

Eric looked away.

"Nobody knows," Lena answered for him. "She ran away before the government took Eric away his mom, and then he never saw either of them again."

"I'm sorry," Alex said, not knowing what else to say.

Kara needed to do more than talk. She knew what it was like to lose a family, but she had never experienced losing a family from within. She had never known a home without love. Her broken mother-daughter relationship with Eliza seemed normal compared to what Eric had gone through. Kara touched Eric's arm again, and this time he accepted it.

"Is anyone still hungry?" Lena asked, noting that their lunches were barely even touched.

Everyone shook their heads.

"Wanna get out of here?" Lena asked. "How about Zumiez?"

"Hot Topic?" Alex countered.

"EB Games?" Eric offered to rolling eyes. "What? I thought you were getting into video games."

Kara was still looking at her pizza.

"Go ahead, Kara," Lena said, laughing.

Kara blushed, ashamed that she could feel hungry after all of the emotional outpouring. She devoured her two slices, feeling like she was committing a crime.

But watching Kara eat restored her friends' appetites, as they bit into their pizzas, and Kara felt better when she ordered a third slice.

Now, they felt like themselves again.

Alex bragged about beating Kara in Wii Sports boxing.

Eric bragged that real gamers use Xbox 360.

They finished their meals, still debating the merits of video game consoles, with no longer a care in the world.

X X X

Despite mocking Eric for wanting to visit EB Games, once there Alex found herself drooling over the Wii game Trauma Center. "Mom would approve of this game," she rationalized.

Lena bought the game for Alex.

Despite mocking Alex for wanting to visit Hot Topic, Eric drooled over a black t-shirt featuring MCR Black Parade.

Lena bought the t-shirt for Eric.

"How is it you always have so much money?" Alex asked Lena.

Lena shrugged. "The government gives us witness protection money."

"I guess they give an extra bonus when you are related to the criminal," Eric commented sarcastically.

"Insults? That's what I get for buying you stuff?" Lena complained, only half serious. Then she turned apologetic. "But yeah, it's not very fair, right?"

"Nothing for Kara?" Eric complained for Kara's sake.

Lena opened her arms wide towards the mall. "Anything she wants," Lena she said.

Everyone looked at Kara expectantly.

"I don't want anything," Kara said quietly as she looked enviously at the other girls walking around the mall.

"Kara wants a tank top," Alex requested on Kara's behalf.

"No I don't!" Kara insisted, trying to hide her chest behind her crossed arms.

"Yes, you do," Alex insisted. "You are always trying to get people to look at your legs, because you still have little boobs, but you need to show your arms and neck more. Boobs don't really matter much."

Lena agreed, so they spent the next hour having Kara try one top after another, praising almost every shirt, until Kara finally felt good when she looked in the mirror.

Kara finally found a simple pink tank at Victoria's Secret that had the feel of a pajama top. She modeled it with a smile for her friends, who could see in her eyes that this was the one, so they added a little enthusiasm to their praise.

"Yes, you look very nice," came an unexpected voice from the lingerie section.

The four friends turned towards where the compliment came from and collectively took a step back upon seeing Cookie eyeing them suspiciously.

"Don't worry," Cookie said with unusual concern for their anxiety. "I work here now, and I was just picking up my check. I never expected to see you guys here."

"Same," Lena replied.

Kara and Alex looked to Lena for leadership, but Lena seemed as unsure as they were. Couldn't Lena's read Cookie's mind? Or was Cookie so good at disguising her thoughts that Lena could not be sure?

"What do you want?" Alex finally asked Cookie directly.

"I just came over to ask you the same question," Cookie replied. She reached into her purse and pulled out a gold coin. She flipped it in the air casually, then held it where they could see. "That was you, wasn't it?" she asked, looking directly at Kara.

Kara didn't want to speak.

"How did you know?" Lena asked, more curious than worried.

"Well, I know now," Cookie replied while cracking a wicked grin. She was happy to explain her reasoning. "Remember I have all of those security cameras, and this was not the first time I caught Kara running on tape. She moves so effortlessly, even in a Santa costume. I've never seen anyone else run like that before. Besides, I saw four people running away, so I figured it could only be you guys."

"Well, you were never anyone's fool," Lena complemented Cookie, though she made it sound like an insult.

"Never forget it," Cookie said proudly, "but I confess I don't get this." Cookie flashed the coin again. "What do you want?"

"It was a Christmas present," Kara said, as though that answered everything.

"You gave them to everyone on the block," Cookie elaborated, then she shook her head. "Why? Where did you get all of these coins?"

Alex and Lena were both reluctant to tell Cookie anything else, but Kara was as generous with information as she had been with the gold coins.

"We found the coins buried in the woods," Kara said.

"With my dad's metal detector," Alex quickly added.

"And we wanted to share them for Christmas," Kara continued.

Cookie shifted her stance to one leg, as she looked at Kara in disbelief, as though she was looking at an alien. "But why did you give a coin to **me**?"

Alex replied coldly, "Because Kara doesn't know you like we do."

Cookie's face wrinkled in a way that none of them had ever seen before. "She doesn't know…." Cookie started. "Nobody…" she restarted, but the words would not come. She looked like she bit into a lemon. She glanced towards the store's exit and her face was hardening. "Well, thanks," she said curtly, then she began to walk away.

To everyone's surprise, Lena stepped towards Cookie and spoke up, "Hey, Cookie… Do you think you could get us a break on this tank top? The prices are so high here."

Cookie stopped and looked back suspiciously. Everyone was watching her, waiting to see how she would respond. Finally, she smiled politely and said, "I can give you my discount for working here. That's 20% off."

"That would be awesome," Lena said, then she waved Kara towards the changing room, hurrying her to slip back into her blue blouse and cardigan.

"What are you doing?" Alex didn't have to ask Lena.

Lena put her hand up, signalling for Alex to trust her.

"My discount will only save you about five dollars," Cookie said, now wishing she had escaped when the idea had first occurred to her. "That's nothing compared to a gold coin."

"It's the thought that counts," Lena said sincerely.

Cookie bit her lip and looked at Alex, looking as uncertain as Alex felt.

X X X

Their mutual uncertainty persisted throughout the rest of their visit to the mall, yet Cookie stayed with her usual victims. She even helped Lena pick out a jacket for herself.

Something had happened.

Cookie had accepted the very generous gift of gold they had given her, and they had accepted the small offering Cookie gave them in return. Somehow that had started something.

Nobody asked Cookie about the school lists, or the chatroom attacks, or getting Lena committed, or the compromising photos, or about having Kara tripped down the stairs. Each of these crimes seemed beyond forgiving, and such superhuman forgiveness would be beyond Cookie's ability to accept.

Yet both regret and forgiveness seemed like real possibilities.

When they finally left the mall and headed towards Lena's house, Cookie was still tagging along.

"Lena told us you and she were best friends last year," Kara said curiously.

Cookie smiled at Kara. "We were both cheerleaders."

"And damn good ones," Lena added.

Then the girls reminisced about those happier days and argued about who was better. They stopped the group for a moment to show off a few of their moves before picking up the pace again, while Eric and the Danvers girls trailed a few steps behind them.

The two cheerleaders were so caught up reminiscing that they didn't notice that Eric was mocking them behind their backs.

Kara and Alex giggled silently, but Lena quickly flashed them a knowing smile.

Alex blushed, knowing that Lena must have read her mind. Then Alex whispered to Kara and Eric, "Isn't this unreal?"

Eric nodded, now feeling more serious. He whispered back, "I hope Lena knows what she's doing."

"I don't trust Cookie for a second," Alex whispered.

Kara was confused. "If Cookie was trying to trick us, Lena could tell. Couldn't she?"

"I don't know," Alex replied. "She fooled Lena before."

Kara shook her head and smiled optimistically. "I think people can change."

Eric shook his head. "I don't."

"Hey, Kara," Lena said, turning around. "I think you really are Santa."

Everyone looked at Kara, and Cookie laughed.

Kara didn't know what Lena meant, but she smiled anyway. She must have done something right.

"Looks like your mom has company," Cookie noted as they approached Lena's home. She pointed at a plain black van behind Ms. Thorul's Honda.

Lena slowed her gait and suddenly frowned. "That's not right. None of mom's friends has a van."

Lena's frown made Alex frown.

"What's wrong?" Kara asked.

"I don't know," Alex said. "But something."

As they stepped up to the driveway, Lena stopped completely, then quickly turned around, saying, "Let's get out of here."

Then they saw that two men had been following them from a distance. Another man approached from across the street. Then they looked back at Lena's house as a tall sharply dressed man came out of the back door and approached.

"Hello, Lena," he said with what could only be described as a polite smile.

Lena looked around. She looked ready to run, but there was nowhere to escape, so she turned back to the man and said, "Hello Lex."


	20. Cookie Crumbles

Everyone looked at Lex. Then everyone looked at Lena.

Lena's friends were looking to her for guidance. Lex and his lackeys were trying to intimidate Lena. And Cookie stared at Lena with one eyebrow raised, as though Lena had planned this encounter with her notorious brother all along.

Lex was an evil, dangerous monster of a man, and the five teens and even her mom had serious cause for worry, yet out of all of the fears that were causing a rush of adrenaline through Lena's body, what worried her the most was Cookie's stare. If Lena ever had a chance to reach Cookie, that chance was now fading.

Her friends would never understand if Lena told them how much Cookie had meant to her once upon a time.

X X X

At one time, the two girls had been closer than Lena had admitted to anyone. Major girl crush. Eric had never understood. Cookie had always been manipulative with an undeniable wicked streak, but she had been loyal to her friends. She had invited Lena into her home. She had the dominating personality of her mother, and the kind but suspicious nature of her father. She could shower her friends with love one day, then turn into a vicious, paranoid bitch the next day, yet Lena had thought of Cookie as her best friend.

But not everyone was lucky enough to be Cookie's friend, and for those people, she had always been ruthless. Lena could never reconcile the good with the bad in Cookie, who had always assumed that anyone who wasn't her friend was an enemy.

It had only been a matter of time before Cookie started to think of Eric that way, and Lena had not been able to bear knowing what Cookie was thinking anymore. She had finally admitted to herself that Cookie was troubled and may have needed help.

Then Lena had betrayed Cookie. At least that was how Cookie saw it. And maybe it was true. Lena had kept secrets from Cookie. Back then, Cookie took her instructions from witness protection very seriously, but those secrets had kept Lena from helping her best friend, so finally she had confessed that she could read minds, and she convinced Cookie that she knew what Cookie was thinking.

It had been a disaster.

Nobody likes to be made aware of their own demons. That had been difficult enough for Cookie to hear. But perhaps even worse than that, Lena had confessed that Lex Luthor was her brother.

Lena hadn't anticipated how devastating that news would be to Cookie. She hadn't realized that Cookie's Dad was one of the lawyers that had helped convict Lex for insider trading two years ago. Lena hadn't realized that Lex was the reason why Cookie's dad had installed a security system in their home that was fit for the mayor of Gotham, upon hearing of Lex's escape from jail only a few months before.

In an instant, Lena had gone from being Cookie's best friend to being her ex-friend, and ex-friends were the worst kind of enemies, in Cookie's eyes.

In fact, Cookie never had any real friends since their friendship had ended. Sure, she had her clique, but she never let any of these allies get close. They were all potential ex-friends. In Cookie's mind now, all friends wanted something from her, and she wanted something from them, and that was the extent of her friendships.

Since then Lena had felt guilty for Cookie's loss of trust in people. Cookie would never let Lena get close enough to see inside her mind again, so Lena could only see the evil transformation from the outside. Cookie had turned against Lena ruthlessly, like Anakin turning into Darth Vader, and Lena hadn't seen any light left inside of her.

For the past year, nothing had changed, except Cookie had become even crueler.

Then, suddenly, a spark had appeared under the ice during Christmas Eve.

Then again, today, back in the mall, Lena had sensed that the spark had grown into a flicker.

Cookie had been trying to hide something from Lena, while they had sized each other up in Victoria's Secret. Cookie had even been trying to hide it from herself, so it was hard for Lena read her thoughts clearly. But something had shattered Cookie's pride. She had been betrayed. She had been abused. She was reaping what she had sown.

Lena had every right to relish this. Complete justice would have been sweet. Alex and Eric would have certainly approved if Cookie had fallenl hard. But Kara had shown Lena a better way. Charity to those least deserving could change someone's heart.

Experience and psychology said otherwise. Lena knew that intellectually. Personality disorders don't suddenly go away. But Lena was trusting psychology less and less lately, and she was trusting Kara's instincts more and more.

At first glance, Kara seemed crippled by a naive childlike innocence. She was easily underestimated. But Kara was neither naive nor innocent. She had gone through a very tough life so far, and she had seen her share of injustice and cruelty. Even so, she still saw the goodness of people even when there was plenty of reason to doubt. It was a matter of will, and it was infectious, and somehow even someone like Cookie responded to that good will. Kara had ignited something in Lena's old friend, and Lena now wanted to nurture that flicker into a flame. Lena's mind was still skeptical, but she wanted to believe that people could be redeemed.

She wasn't sure if Alex and Eric could ever accept Cookie, even if her bleak soul could somehow be changed. Too much water under the bridge. But they had let Lena try anyway without saying a word.

As they had shopped around the mall, Cookie had tried to bury her thoughts, but Lena had discerned bits and pieces of what had happened. Eventually, the whole story of Cookie's misfortune had emerged.

During the night that school had let out for the winter break, Cookie had apparently joined a holiday party with the whole gang from the chat room, and there had been plenty of drugs and beer to go around.

Andy (AKA Watcher) had been trying to get into Cookie's pants for months, and he had been sweet talking her for as long as Lena could remember. Lena had always thought that Andy was too nice for Cookie, and that she would hurt him.

But it was the other way around. He had finally won a date with Cookie, and he had been very nice, lowering Cookie's guard. Then, at the party, he got her drunk. Very drunk. Maybe he had even put something extra in her drink, because Cookie could not remember anything after she had awoken.

The rest of the drama occurred online.

Lena and her friends had stopped visiting the chat room only days before, so they had missed out on the tragedy.

Andy had told everyone how drunk Cookie had been at the party, and how they had had sex, and how disappointed he had been. He had said some horrible things, but all Lena could sense from Cookie was the pain, not the words, because Cookie could not let herself remember what was actually said. Cookie then had denied ever having sex with Andy, or even behaving the way he had claimed, but she had no memory of what had really happened that night. Then, an hour after the accusations, photos from that night had appeared on the StudentBody blog, showing Cookie in the most compromising of situations. Peggy had had complete control of the blog now, so the implication was clear: Cookie's minions had risen up and stabbed her in the back.

Her former friends then piled on, disclosing many secrets about what Cookie had done to them, about what she had done to Kara and Alex, and pretty much any scandal that didn't incriminate themselves as well. Cookie had been tossed from the throne to the gutter in one day.

Part of Lena could not help feel a little satisfaction at Cookie's misfortunate, but Lena could also read Cookie's mind, and that kind of intimacy made gloating impossible.

Cookie had wanted to kill herself. Her popularity and ego and pride had meant everything to her, and in an instant, it had all been taken away. She had even prayed honestly for the first time in her life, out of pure desperation, because she had no hope left for her life.

Then, a few hours later, a cute, awkward Santa had come to her door giving out real gold. Even before she saw the video evidence, she knew it was Kara, and Kara had moved her, and for the next couple of days, she wondered what it had all meant.

Finally, today, Cookie had seen the girls at the mall and she had followed them around from a distance until they had entered Victoria's Secret. She had been working there during the holiday rush, but she was not there to pick up a paycheck today, as she had claimed. She had just wanted an excuse to talk with them.

Lena had known right away that something huge had happened. Her first thought had not been that Cookie could be redeemed. Cookie had betrayed Lena, just has she had betrayed so many other people, so she was not eager to forgive or even believe the psychic signals Cookie was giving out, but she also couldn't just let Cookie walk away without learning the whole story.

As they walked throughout the mall, and then headed off towards Lena's house, Lena could feel her friends disgust and confusion, and she was eager to fill them in with what Lena was learning, but she didn't want to disturb whatever rapport and trust she was building with Cookie. They just had to trust her for a while.

Lena was seeing the old friend that Cookie once was returning, and maybe a new level of empathy that Cookie had never had was in order. Having fallen as far as Cookie could fall, Cookie now honestly wanted to make a change in her life, and so long as she had people there supporting her, Lena believed it could happen.

That is until now, with Lex making a surprise appearance.

Now, all bets were off.

Now, Lena felt unbalanced and alone, even as her friends looked to her for guidance. Cookie stared at her suspiciously. Lex grabbed Lena's hand, in case she had any other thoughts of escape. But Lena felt too unbalanced to even think of that. The silence in the air filled her with dread.

Everyone's eyes were on her, making her feel exposed and powerless, because she couldn't feel their feelings. She couldn't sense their thoughts.


	21. Assuming the Mantle

Kara had no idea what was going on, until Alex whispered in her ear frantically, "It's Lex Luther!"

That name rang a bell.

Then Kara remembered what Lena had told her about her brother, about the abuse, and what Eliza had told her about his criminal past, and his run-ins with her cousin.

Lex didn't look like a madman. He looked attractive under the setting sun, but he didn't look extraordinary in any way. He wore an ordinary suit, not unlike the suit Jeremiah had worn to work every day. He looked healthy and strong, but not more so than half of the teachers at Leesburg High. His red hair was well styled, but he was balding in the middle of his head. The only thing noteworthy about him was the way he talked, which was simultaneously polite and authoritative.

"Hello Eric," Lex continued, as the young man's face turned red with both fear and fury.

Lex then turned back to Lena and said, "You sense it now, don't you? Or perhaps I should say, you aren't sensing anything."

Lena said nothing. She merely glanced at Cookie, then she cowered as Lex approached her and roughly yanked her purse away.

He handed her purse to one of his lackeys, who searched through it, tossing anything he wasn't interested in to the ground, while Lex stepped back and pointed to the large black van in the driveway.

"That's why you can't sense anything," Lex explained. "Not the van, but the small box on top. A quantum field collapser. It stops the transmission of mental activity outside of our bodies. If I turned the power up, we would have difficulty even thinking inside of our own heads. It's not that I have a problem with your power in principle, but I can't very well have you spying in our heads while we kidnap you."

Lena blinked at the directness of the threat, and then pleaded, "But … what about my friends?"

"I was only planning on taking you," Lex said innocently, but then looked the other four teens over admiringly. "But we have unfinished business with Eric, too. You don't mind coming along young man, do you? We can't be leaving loose ends around making lots of noise, either. Maybe these other girls wouldn't mind helping us with our experiments, too."

The henchman pulled a flip phone out of Lena's purse and handed it to Lex, who flipped it open. "All of you girls seem to have these things these days," he said, as he looked at it admiringly. Suddenly he twisted the two halves of the phone apart, sending bits of plastic flying. Then he waved his hand at Cookie.

The henchman stepped towards Cookie, who glared at him defiantly, until he threatened to hit her with the back of his hand. Then she gave up her purse.

While everyone was looking at Cookie, Alex reached out for Kara's hand, but instead of holding it, she put her cell phone into Kara's palm and whispered, "Run."

Kara merely looked at Alex, as though the message wasn't clear.

"Call mom," Alex tried again. "Go. Now."

Kara looked at Lex, who was looking back, apparently noticing that Alex was plotting something.

Lex stepped towards Kara and waved at another henchman, instructing him to take care of business.

Now, Lex's face was very noteworthy. Now, the evil in his eyes was apparent.

Kara glanced at Alex, whose eyes were pleading. "Run!" she finally yelled.

The henchman was now rushing towards Kara, to nip this revolt in the bud.

But Kara was no longer there.

She was running back up the street towards the mall. She did as she was trained, running only as fast as a normal 16 year old girl would be expected to run, but when she felt a hand grabbing at her sweater she kicked it up a gear. A moment later, the man proved to be quite the physical specimen, as his hand clamped on her wrist. Without even considering what might be believable, Kara yanked her hand away, throwing the man off balance and into a telephone pole as she made a 90 degree turn and disappeared into the backyards of the row of houses. Once out of sight, she literally flew back up the parallel road behind Lena's house, where she could spy what was going on with her friends.

Lex and Kara's friends were still looking down the road, where two henchmen were now searching for Kara.

Lex frowned. The sky was getting darker by the minute, meaning that Kara would be that much harder to find, and after about thirty seconds of watching them search, he whistled, and the men returned to him like two well trained dogs. "Take the others inside," he spat at the men. "Think you can handle that?"

Kara watched anxiously as Lex's lackeys roughly shoved the four teenagers into the van.

Kara was shaking with indecision. If those brutes hit any of her friends, she decided she would intervene, regardless of what secrets she was supposed to keep. Kara was confident that she could handle these thugs, but she remembered that Lex had survived confrontations with her cousin. Perhaps she shouldn't feel so confident.

Lex and two men followed the teenagers into the cramped back of the van, while two other men stepped in front and started the engine.

Kara felt her heart pounding so hard that it was almost all she could hear. She didn't know what to do.

Then she remembered the phone in her hand. She opened it and stared at it like the phone was a Rubic's cube. She had never used Alex's phone before. She didn't even know any phone numbers, not even the number to her own home. Eliza told her to press 911 in the event of an emergency. But what would she say? Was this that kind of emergency?

The van started backing up in the driveway.

Kara looked at the keypad, praying to Rao for an answer. Then she saw the redial button.

She pressed it. A second later, she heard ringing.

The van was stuck for a moment, trying to maneuver around a car parked across the street.

"Alex?" said Eliza on the other side of the phone, her tone a little angry. "Where are you?"

"Mom!" Kara said, with the image of her mom back in Krypton in her mind, but Eliza would do.

"Kara?" Eliza replied with a puzzled tone. "Where's Alex."

"Lex Luthor has her," Kara cried. "He came out of nowhere."

"WHAT?" Eliza yelled.

"He grabbed Alex and our friends, but I escaped," Kara said quickly, as the van finally cleared the driveway completely and kicked into first gear. "They are starting to drive away, and I don't know what to do. Should I stop them? I think I can."

"No, Kara, but don't lose sight of them. Don't let them see you following them, but don't let them get away, even if you have to reveal yourself."

"I won't," Kara said with determination now fixed on her brow. The van picked up speed as it cruised down the street, and Kara hurried out from behind the house and began to run after them. After running for about fifty yards, she remembered that the van had mirrors. Without a second thought she jumped up in the air and floated higher until she was hovering just above the treeline. The sky was growing darker, but the sun had just gone down, so she knew she was still visible, so she floated higher. Maybe if someone saw her, they would think she was a bird.

"KARA!" the phone called out urgently.

"I'm following them," Kara said, as the van turned onto the main street and picked up speed.

"Stay with them. I'll call your cousin. He'll know what to do," Eliza said. "I'm hanging up now, but I'll call back soon. Or he will."

Kara breathed more easily, as she followed the car, now going near highway speed. The wind knocked her shoes off of her feet, and she had to hold onto her skirt or it would blow right off her hips. She felt awkward and more than a little nervous, but her confidence was growing. This was a frightening moment in her life, but at the same time, this felt like something she was meant to do. If her powers had any purpose, wasn't it for moments like this?


	22. Riding with the Devil

Alex and her friends sat on the floor in the back of the van, while three thugs sat across from them, and Lex sat on a crate in the middle. The henchmen in the front of the van looked much less rugged. They were clearly Lex's more brainy pawns.

The van was not designed for comfort. The tires vibrated with every imperfection in the road, like a phonograph needle on a scratched record, and small bumps tossed the passengers around roughly.

"What happened to my mom?" Lena asked nervously as soon as the van started moving.

"The same old thing," Lex said, waving his hand dismissively. "Arlene was dying for the skag."

Lena looked down at her hands, as tears welled up in her eyes.

"Don't be so sad, sis," Lex said indifferently. "I know she had been clean, popping that prescription stuff instead, but she was about as happy as a dog living off of kale chips. Now she's floating on cloud nine, and I left her enough smack to stay there a while."

Eric put his hand on Lena's shoulder supportively. He knew Lena's mom, and he also knew what it was like to have very weak parents.

Cookie, who had been eyeing Lena with suspicion earlier, reluctantly reached out and held Lena's other hand. Lena did not object.

Alex took this in with amazement. The closeness of Cookie and Lena didn't make sense. Earlier, at the mall, Alex had thought that Lena was pretending to forgive Cookie out of curiosity. When that theory failed, Alex then decided that Lena must have found religion, and she was forgiving out of duty. But now it was clear that Lena was sincere. She had warned Alex and Kara time and again to never trust Cookie, but she was unable to follow her own advice. Now it was clear that Lena had always cared deeply for Cookie, and she had just been waiting for Cookie to come around.

Alex stared at their interconnected hands and felt separate from her friends, alone. She really wished she was holding Kara's hand.

"How did you find us?" Eric demanded of Lex.

Lex smiled. "Well, I'm embarrassed to say that it was more difficult than it should have been. Think of it: Lena and Arlene just scrambled the letters in their last name, and she thought she could get away with it, yet she almost pulled it off. I didn't have any leads to where you kids were relocated. But I did have one card to play. I found an obscure way to contact Lena's mother: I still had her name. So every month, I sent her around $800 from the user 'SocSecAdm', which was about the same amount the real Social Security was loading into her bank account. I predicted she would think that either the government was making a mistake or that she was getting a second payment for taking care of Lena, and that she wouldn't report it, because people don't look a gift horse in the mouth. I varied the payment amount every month by a few pennies. My boy up front had hacked into several major banks, and we could see millions of account numbers and money amounts going in and out of accounts. After all of this time, only one account had deposits that exactly matched the deposits I had sent to your mom. Tracking that account to Leesburg was elementary."

Lex then sat back and smiled, but he quickly lost his mirth when the teens didn't seem to appreciate his brilliant scheme.

"It's a shame how fate always conspires to keep us apart, Lena. Siblings should stick together," Lex said, as he looked over the four friends, one by one. "But we don't really have much use for any more experimental subjects. Your friends here hardly seem worth the expense, but we can't have them blabbering around, either. Too bad one of them got away."

Lena was startled. She must have thought that Lex meant to let her friends go. But then she saw how cold his eyes had become.

Like attentive dogs, the three thugs picked up on their master's mood instantly, and their hands moved towards their weapons, in case Lex meant to execute the children right then in the car on a whim.

Alex and Cookie both pushed their backs against the van door, as if they could somehow put more distance between themselves and what suddenly seemed like imminent danger. Lena moved her body in front of Cookie to shield her, while Eric did the same for Alex.

"Relax, I haven't made any decisions yet," Lex said, laughing. "Besides, Eric, what makes you think I would hesitate to kill you?"

Comments like that did not help the teens to relax.

"Hey boss," came a voice from the front passenger seat. "You might want to hear this before you plan anything irreversible. I've been plugging the info from these kids' IDs into the FBI database, and the results are interesting."

"Go ahead," Lex said patiently.

"It turns out the blonde is the daughter of Caleb Clifford, from Roberts & Clifford, the team of lawyers that put you away," he said excitedly, "and the brunette is the daughter of two scientists who specialize in Kryptonian biology and culture."

Lex's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "You've gotta be shitting me!"

The man up front shook his head defensively, as if there really was any chance that he'd tease his boss.

Lex whirled his head back to face the teens with a crazy grin. "What are the odds? Congratulations, kids, we might have a use for you after all."

X X X

The van was speeding down the highway at 70 MPH, despite the rush hour traffic forcing the driver to weave from lane to lane.

Kara was flying fifty feet overhead.

Worries flooded her mind, as she followed the van. She was worried that someone might see her, even though she was surrounded by night sky. She was worried that if her cousin tried to call, she would be out of range. She was worried that the van would stop, and then maybe she'd have to act. She was worried because the van was lined with lead panels, preventing her from seeing inside. These criminals were clearly prepared for Superman. What hope did she have? She had no experience using her powers, and she had no experience dealing with these sorts of people.

She tried not to worry so much. Worry could lead to panic, and her friends needed for her to be level headed.

It helped that she could hear what was going on inside of the van. The windows were all closed, and the engine was loud, but as long as she stayed close above, she could pick out voices through the roar of wind and road. She needed to fly low to make out what people were saying, and if that meant that someone glimpsed her in the sky, so be it. She needed the reassurance of hearing her friends' and sister's voices to keep her calm and focused.

Kara heard when Lex threatened her friends. She could even hear the coldness in his voice. She was prepared to jump in front of the van right then, but fortunately Lex changed his mind quickly.

Then the passengers in the van stopped talking altogether. Kara could hear her friends whispering in the back, and deeper voices murmuring in the front, but now they were too quiet even for her ears to track their words.

A few minutes later, the van took an exit from the freeway and headed down a quiet, poorly lit road. Kara slowly descended until she landed on top of the van, light as a feather.

Now she could hear the whispers clearly. Nobody inside noticed the extra passenger stealing a ride on top. Kara laid on top of the van as flat as she could, thinking she could ride unnoticed the rest of the way.

The small box on top of the van forced Kara to lay sideways, but it also gave her something firm to grab onto and steady herself. At first she thought that the box was plain black, but there were tiny holes on the sides.

When she looked inside the box, she was mesmerized by sparkling lights that moved around like fireworks, but she still felt dizzy even when she closed her eyes. For a moment, as she laid there, she forgot where she was. She even forgot that she was on a van, or that her friends were in danger.

She had heard kids at school describe the effects of marijuana; that was what this felt like.

She remained mesmerized for several minutes, when suddenly her cell phone rang. She woke from her daze suddenly as if being splashed by water while in a pleasant dream. Kara nearly fell off the roof, and then took off into the air like a bird startled by a cat. She fumbled her cell phone and then managed to recover it before it hit the ground, but only by dropping her skirt. The striped wool garment was dragged by the wind past her feet, like a kite after the string is broken. She considered rescuing that small piece of her humility, but she was deathly afraid of letting the van out of her sight. At least today she was wearing panties. That was decent enough for now, she decided, and she was better off without a loose-fitting skirt flapping around while she flew, distracting her and making noise. Kara floated up above the van before answering the phone.

"Hello?" she shouted through the roar of the wind.

"Kara?" Eliza said, "Can you hear me? I couldn't reach your cousin. I'll keep trying, but I don't know... I know you don't feel ready for this, but please please don't let anything happen to Alex! … Can you hear me?"

"Yes," Kara shouted through the gale force winds. "And I won't."

Kara stared down at the roof of the van and at that mysterious box, which had messed with her mind a moment ago, when her head was only inches away, but that was not the real purpose of the device.

What had Lex said about it? When telepaths were in the vicinity, the box prevented them from using their powers.

Kara bit her lip. The obvious thing to do was destroy it, but she was afraid of the consequences. Maybe there was an alarm built into the box that would go off if it was damaged. Maybe if Lex knew that Lena and Eric had their powers again, he would kill them.

Then again, maybe if Lena could read Lex's mind, she could plan an escape. Maybe if Eric could push his feelings, he could distract them.

Any action she took might save her friends, or it might backfire.

Kara wanted for someone else to decide.

But Kara was stuck with this decision. it was hers alone.

Carefully, Kara focused her eyes. Waves of heat pierced the air, descending to the roof of the car. She controlled the beam with care, ensuring that it was not so hot or diffused that it burned the top of the vehicle. Her fierce stare slowly overheated the device inside the box until sparks and a puff of smoke finally signaled the device's demise.

Then she waited and listened and bit her lip hard enough that she could taste her own blood. She knew her small act of destruction would not be nearly enough to save the day. If Superman could not help her, she would need to do a lot more, and she was completely willing. All she wanted was for someone to tell her what to do, and that was not going to happen. For now, all she could do was be patient and be ready when the next opportunity to act would finally present itself.

X X X

The thugs looked up when something bounced on top of the van, but went about their business of monitoring the prisoners a moment later, as if nothing had happened.

Lena wished that she could read their thoughts, and she concentrated hard, but it was hopeless.

Lena had not felt this helpless in years, certainly not since the last time that Lex had held her and Eric hostage. Now, it felt like they had never escaped. She felt as powerless as she had felt when she was only nine years old, and Lex had kept her in his own personal orphanage back in Midvale. The orphanage looked pleasant enough when the government inspectors dropped by, but there was nothing pleasant about the constant labor, the experiments by mad scientists or the forced isolation. Puppy mills provided their dogs with more emotional support than the orphanage provided their wards. As bad as life in Midvale was for Lena, she was the lucky child, because she was the master's sister. Lex had always told her that other children, like Eric, had it much worse, but Lena had always felt especially cursed, knowing that the evil they were all enduring was connected to her. He was her brother.

She had felt much luckier when Superman had rescued her and returned to her mother. With a lot of therapy, she had slowly learned again what it meant to be loved. Her mother's love was as much a torture as a comfort. Her mom had a host of emotional problems and was always teetering on the edge with her addiction. Lena was more like the parent in their relationship with her mom, but after the hell that Lex had trapped her in for two years, Lena felt blessed to have her mom back in whatever state she was in. She had felt like her life had meaning again. She had felt free.

Now, she didn't quite know how to feel. Lex had once taught her to lose all hope, and now she felt her hope failing her yet again.

Lena looked at Eric, whose contagious feelings had always grounded her, but now the space between them felt empty. He looked back at her, and Lena could see the dread in his eyes, and that made her shiver. He had gone through the same nightmare that she had gone through, and she knew her eyes must have looked like his.

Knowing that they were being thrust back into Lex's hell again was horrifying, but she knew they would quickly learn their place again. She almost looked forward to when her heart would be numb again to the inhumanity, to the loss of hope, to the loss of giving a shit, because once that finally happened, she knew that even the flames of hell would become bearable.

Lena and Eric had been through this before, and they knew the best thing to do with Lex was keep their mouths shut and just let him talk and never react, no matter how outrageous the shit that came out of his mouth.

Unfortunately, Cookie and Alex did not know this strategy. They had never been broken. They actually thought they could argue with Lex. They actually thought there was a point in fighting. Fighting was the worst thing they could do. It might even get them killed.

Cookie had always been an emotionally strong girl, but now she was shaking uncontrollably in fear.

She had started her captivity by wisely holding her tongue, but then she foolishly summoned the audacity of telling Lex to go fuck himself when he had demanded compromising information about her father. She should have relented or at least lied, and then he would have ignored her. Instead, she now found herself sitting on the lap of one of Lex's henchmen with duct tape over her mouth and fighting off hands that groped and tormented her body.

Alex felt deeply sorry for Cookie, and she never thought that was possible even one day ago, but Cookie's friendship stock was skyrocketing today. Now, Alex was shedding tears for Cookie, because at any moment Lex might give the word, and the henchmen would dutifully rape Leesburg's mean girl in the van, in front of everyone. Alex could not just sit there and watch that happen, even to someone like Cookie. A foolish plan was forming in her mind. She was thinking that if these men were so distracted by the molestation going on in front of them, maybe Alex could sneak up and grab one of their guns.

Wait, was that REALLY what Alex was thinking?

Yes! Lena suddenly realized that the thoughts in her mind were not all her own anymore. Something happened, and that could only mean that Kara had destroyed the device on the van. That meant that Kara was still there with them. Lena could feel her. She could also feel Eric's anger and frustration exploding from his soul; his feelings were distinct from her own. She could sense Cookie's despair, and she could even sense Lex's satisfaction at putting Cookie in her place.

Lex did a little mind reading of his own. Lex saw the defiance blooming in Alex's eyes, so he turned his attention to her.

"You think I'm being too cruel, young lady?" He asked Alex with a polite tone that was now more ominous than his angry voice. "Well, I don't really have much choice, do I, when people don't give me the respect I deserve? But I'm not always so harsh. I can be magnanimous to those who please me. Just ask Lena, here."

Lena looked away, shaking her head angrily. Contradicting Lex was never smart, but she couldn't let her friends think for even a second that she was on his side.

"OK, don't ask her," Lex said, feigning surprise and disappointment. "It's very unfortunate when people don't appreciate the gifts I have given them, but she is family, and, well, we all have to be patient with family. You, however, are not family."

Alex could not miss that subtle threat. "Wh-what do you want?"

Lex smiled. "Oh, nothing much. Just a few small questions. Like, how do you know my sister? There must be a common thread that brings so many teenagers relevant to my interests together in one place, who are all connected to either me or Superman in some way. Tell me what sorts of things you know about my nemesis. Tell me how I can contact your parents."

Alex sneered at Lex, but one look at Cookie's situation helped her keep her smartass comments to herself. Instead, she stayed silent. It was her only defense.

Lex stood up and was perfectly steady on his feet despite the rough ride of the van. He towered over Alex. "Cat got your tongue? OK, how about an easier question. Who was that girl who got away? Quite a dynamo, that one. You sure seemed eager for her to get away."

Alex was literally cornered, and she didn't want to follow Cookie's fate. Lex was so confident, he left his groin an easy target. Alex felt her fear turning to anger, and she was building the courage or foolishness to take the bait.

"Oh stop this bullshit," Lena yelled out suddenly, trying to get Lex's mind off of her friends. "You must have bigger plans than harassing a bunch of teenagers."

Lex was provoked by Lena's insolence, but he was predictably pleased by the opportunity to rant on about his brilliant schemes.

He towered over Lena, feigning an attack with his pointed shoe, and then he grinned when Lena covered her face with her arm. "I've always spoiled you too much," he said with a dangerously playful tone. "But of course you are right. By this time tomorrow, we will have our revenge on Al Qaeda, and we will win over the hearts and minds of America at the same time."

"What?" Alex asked in shock. "You want to help America?"

"Yes, my dear," said Lex, as though he had always been misunderstood. "Unlike your lame government that just wants to build democracies and forgive those savages, or that simple minded Kryptonian who would rather save kittens in trees than do what is necessary, I will put an end to this war on terror in one day. I will do what needs to be done."

"You…" Lena started, then swallowed, barely able to comprehend what Lex was thinking. "You are going to nuke them?"

"Of course," Lex said. "It's about time someone did more than talk about it. We've lost thousands on 9/11, and now thousands more in needless street-to-street combat. Truman had the right idea all those years ago. What is the point of stockpiling thousands of weapons and not even threatening to use them."

"You're going to fire nukes from our own military bases?" Lena said, shaking her head at how insane it sounded.

"Bravo, little sis," Lex praised Lena's insight, never considering that she might have read his mind. "And you are going to help me. You are going to help me get the launch codes. I trust you see the sense in our plan. But if you don't, surely you don't want to see your friends suffer."

"Superman will stop you," Alex said defiantly.

Lex glared at her. "And that is what you want? Really? Americans always need to be dragged kicking and screaming to their salvation. But no, Superman will not be getting in our way. We've made sure that he is half way around the world in North Korea, rescuing thousands of our other enemies in a factory fire. He'll be too busy to pay attention to what is going on around here. But we are not afraid of the man of steel. If he shows up, we are prepared to greet him with this special little gun."

Lex reached behind his servants and pulled out a bazooka sized weapon. "You see, we leave nothing to chance."

"Uh, Lex," said a voice from the front, as the van decelerated.

His tone immediately wiped away Lex's smug smile.

"What is it?" Lex demanded.

"A tree has fallen across the road," the voice replied, as the van rolled to a stop.

Lex crouched behind them in the front of the van and took in the scene. A pair of large trees had fallen completely across the road, blocking off traffic going in both directions. Only a few cars were stopped in front of their van, so clearly the trees had fallen just a minute or so ago.

"Trees don't just fall down in calm weather," Lex observed. His face was grim, as if the conclusion was obvious. "Turn the van around."

The van started to back up, but quickly cars were approaching from behind them. A small barrier separated the lanes going in opposite directions. A truck with high clearance might have been able to cross over, but the van would get stuck if it could even get it's front wheels over.

"It might be him, boss," said one of the lackeys, as if Lex wasn't already way ahead of him.

"It's can't be," countered a voice from the front. "He's making a statement live on television, praising both Koreas for cooperating during the tragedy."

"Maybe," Lex said doubtfully, preferring to believe his own suspicions over a news broadcast. "Keep them inside," he instructed, then he tucked his special weapon under his shoulder and opened the van door.

The teens and tough guys alike crowded by the windows and looked out.

A number of people from other cars were gathering to discuss their common traffic problem, but when they saw Lex wielding the large gun, they rushed for cover.

Lex searched the night sky, not sure of what to look for. After a moment, he caught a glimpse of something. He saw a dark spot in front of a cloud, and it seemed to move. Lex wasn't sure what it was, but Lena knew.

Lex did not hesitate.

Lena yelled out in a panic as Lex pulled the trigger, and a glow of green light flashed through the darkness, disbursing in a wide trajectory like that of a shotgun.

Lex heard something fall in the woods, and he began running in that direction.

A few of his men stepped out of the car to follow Lex, and when they did, the four teenagers rushed out behind them before anyone thought to stop them.

"Kara!" Alex yelled out, running as fast as she could, a few paces ahead of everyone else.

Lex stopped as he took the situation in. The kids were running towards him, then past him towards the woods. His incompetent men were now trying to catch them.

And now, approaching from the distance, were the alarms and red and blue light flashes from approaching police cars.

"Fuck!" Lex cursed, then instructed. "Just shoot the bitches and then get back to the van."

The teens all heard the instructions, and they ran even harder, hoping to outrun the bullets.

Except for Lena, who knew the only way to save her friends.

She stopped running and turned around, yelling, "Stop! I'm the one you need. I'll help you if you let them go."

Lex glared at her, then grabbed her roughly by the hand. Finally, he said, "Forget them. Get back to the van."

The men holstered their guns and turned around, while Lex roughly dragged Lena back to the van.

Lena could sense that her friends had paused at the treeline to look back at her. She could not see them, but she knew they saw her, just before Lex pushed her in the van, and then they ran off to find Kara.

The van started up and nudged two cars out of its way. Then the van rammed into the top of the tree, tossing its occupants around like football players when a play starts. Then it rammed again. And again. Lena heard something grinding under the tires as the van bucked like a horse.

Finally the grinding and bucking stopped, and the van picked up speed.

Lena wiped away a tear, as she looked through the rear window, imagining she could still see her friends and still sense their minds. She tried to not think of what might happen to her. She tried to think of the lives she might be saving by choosing to go with Lex. But her thoughts kept coming back to the reality that she might never see her friends again, and even if she did, would she still be the same person after Lex gets his tentacles into her mind?


	23. Best of Enemies

Cookie followed Alex and Eric into the woods. She twisted out of the duct tape that bound her hands and then tore the strip that held in her screams, and she let loose an angry and frightened scream of freedom. Nobody dared look back until they heard the van's tires squeal, and then they saw the evil black vehicle repeatedly slamming against the tree.

They all stopped for a moment, and Eric even started to run back towards the van, but by then the van was long gone. Eric buried his hands in his hair and fell to his knees.

Cookie watched him, and she watched the van disappear into the distance. She was confused by her feelings. Luther had taken Lena, she realized, and to Cookie's surprise, that felt like a really big deal to her.

"What did I do?" Eric cried out. "I let them take her."

Better her than me, Cookie thought, but with that thought she felt a wave of guilt pass through her soul, and somehow she felt tears welling through her eyes. Damn, did Lena really mean that much to her? Only a few minutes ago, Cookie was terrified for her life and her dignity while rough hands violated her body, but she felt no self-pity. All she could feel now was sympathy for Lena, who might be going through the same thing. Was Cookie really this good a person, deep down, that she could empathize after going through such hell herself? She had never thought of herself like that before, and she wasn't sure she liked it. Caring was a road to ruin, her mom would often say, and Cookie had learned that lesson well. So why couldn't she help herself now?

Alex ran to Eric and grabbed his hand. "Come on," she said and pulled him towards the woods. "We have to find Kara!"

"But what about Lena?" Eric asked as though being ripped apart.

"Kara might be … hurt," Alex said desperately. "Besides, Kara might be the only person who can help Lena now."

Eric nodded, and the two ran off into the woods, running right by Cookie, as if she wasn't there.

Cookie ran after them, knowing they were running with a purpose, but she couldn't understand their reasoning.

They ran along the road about 60 yards and then into the woods, but once there, they stalled. They were beyond the light from the cars on the road, though the moonlight and brief flashes from police cars gave them some illumination to work with. After a few minutes, their night vision would kick in, but for now they could barely see the ground beneath their feet.

Alex squinted and stared into the blackness, then finally yelled out as loud as she could. "KARA!"

"What are we doing?" Cookie asked, feeling the same urgency, but this didn't make sense to her. "Why the fuck are you looking for Kara?"

Alex glared at Cookie in disgust. "You can go to the police if you want, I'm sure they'll take you home, and you can forget all about this. You never cared about anyone. Just let me look for my sister."

"I - I didn't mean to say anything bad about Kara," Cookie said, "I just don't understand what we are doing." She crossed her arms in front of her chest and looked to Eric for a little support, but he just sneered back.

"Just go back to your elitist friends," Eric hissed. "We don't need you!"

"Don't pretend you care about Kara," Alex added. "You've been trying to destroy her all year long."

"Oh, and you had nothing to do with that?" Cookie snapped back. "What did you call her? A freak? Didn't you tell me she was a curse, and that she had basically killed your dad? You made Kara into a leper. You can't pin that on me."

Alex stopped what she was doing and looked at the ground, then up at Eric, who was staring back at her in disbelief. "You don't understand! Those were bad days! I didn't really mean any of that!"

"Well, I didn't mean the things I said, either," Cookie replied.

"The hell you didn't! You sent Abby to trip Kara down the stairs!" Alex countered, while shaking her head. "It sure looked like you meant it then!"

Cookie shook her head. "I told Abby to lift Kara's skirt, that's all. Kara had acted like a slut, and you remember how it goes. It had to be done. Consequences." Cookie's voice went from indignant to sad. "But Abby went rogue. Everyone did. I don't know what happened. Everyone changed. Or maybe I changed."

"I don't care," Alex said with tears now streaming down her face. "Please shut up. I need to find my sister!"

"At least stop saying she's your sister. That only makes people hate you more," Cookie said. Maybe she was trying to be helpful. Maybe she just wanted the last word.

Alex didn't seem to care either way. She ignored Cookie and hurried into the woods.

Eric was already far ahead of them, and they hurried to catch up.

Then Eric stopped and threw his hands in the air. "Was she here?"

"I don't know," Alex replied helplessly. "I really didn't see her."

"I'm sorry," Cookie said. She didn't want to fight anymore, but she couldn't help but be argumentative when she asked, "but why do you think Kara is here? I mean, how could she be? It doesn't make sense. Shouldn't she have run home or somewhere?"

"She's here," Alex said angrily. "If you want to go, nobody is stopping you."

Eric stared at Cookie with venom in his eyes, too, and now Cookie felt very uncomfortable and rejected, but she couldn't imagine herself as some pathetic leech clinging onto people as they tried to scrape her away. She should leave them alone, like they asked.

While she was deciding, a bright light attacked them, nearly blinding them.

"Hello kids," came the voice behind the powerful flashlight. "What are you doing out here?"

A moment later two other uniformed silhouettes appeared against the backdrop of idling cars and flashing police lights, and the three teens stared blankly, taking it all in, not saying a word.

Another voice, this time from a lady cop, said, "Drivers on the road told us they saw some kids jumping out of a black van and then running away from some men in this direction. Are you those kids?"

Cookie nodded. Normally she would feel insulted being called a kid, but she felt very vulnerable and childlike right then.

Alex was still distracted, squinting into the woods for her sister.

"Lex Luthor kidnapped us," Eric said anxiously. "And he still has our friend Lena."

"Luthor?!" exclaimed the first cop, and then he immediately turned away from the group and raised a walkie talkie to his mouth, issuing commands.

The lady cop pressed on with the teens. "How did you escape?"

"The van was blocked by those trees over there," Eric replied, "and then Lex jumped out looking for Superman, and we just bolted."

Just then they all heard a twig break, and the cop flashed his light in the direction of the sound.

Kara was stumbling dizzily towards them from beyond a few trees.

Alex ran to her, while everyone else just stared in disbelief.

Kara looked like she had been hit by lightning after jumping out of a car. Her skirt and sweater were both gone, and now she was only wearing a pair of torn panties that were a thread away from a complete wardrobe malfunction, and the new tank top Lena had just bought her was now shredded and covered in dirt. Considering how much damage her clothes had sustained, it was amazing that none of her private parts were showing, but even much more amazing that she didn't seem to have a scratch on her.

Alex threw her arms around her sister. "Are you OK?" She asked after she caught her breath.

Kara nodded. "I don't know what happened. I just kind of passed out up there," she said, waving at the trees or sky. "I must have fallen."

Eric put his hand on Kara's shoulder, although his face was still somber.

All the while, the cop and Cookie watched in wonder and amazement.

"What happened to you?" The cop asked loudly, trying to get Kara's attention.

Alex and Eric stared at Cookie, as though Cookie was going to ruin everything.

And Cookie almost did. She almost asked Kara, How the hell did you get here?

But she bit her tongue when she saw the deadly stare Alex and Eric sent her way. She could see that they were not surprised in the least at seeing Kara here. They wanted to keep whatever happened here a secret. No matter what problems they had had in the past, and no matter how much they resented Cookie, what they had just gone through today tied all four of them together. They weren't friends, and maybe they would never be, but they felt obligated to each other. Cookie especially felt like she owed Kara, after all the cruelty she had inflicted on Kara, and after how Kara had repaid her with kindness.

So when nobody else answered the cop's question, Cookie responded with what she thought her allies would want her to say. "Those criminals tried to rape Kara. They got really rough," Cookie said, shivering and crossing her arms in front of her chest, as she put Kara into Cookie's own shoes. "So when we escaped, she ran ahead of us, and we kind of lost her in the woods."

Everyone stared at Cookie in surprise, so she stopped talking. Maybe she had miscalculated. Maybe it was obvious to everyone that she was really describing herself.

But her story was believable, and the lady cop responded accordingly, asking Kara in a soft tone, "Poor child. Are you OK?'

Kara nodded, but she didn't look it. She gazed at the ground with a blank expression and shivering intermittently.

Alex took off her black windbreaker and wrapped it around Kara, providing Kara with a modicum of warmth and modesty, but Kara's expression remained the same. Kara looked very much like she had been violated.

Kara looked very much how Cookie felt right then, and Cookie knew Kara could sense it, too.

What had happened to her? Cookie pondered. Why was everything about Kara always so mysterious? And why did Cookie feel so connected to her now, even after all of the obstacles Cookie had put in their way?

The lady cop pulled out a notepad and pencil and asked, "did one of you call 911? We tracked the call to here."

Kara rose her hand like she was answering a teacher in school.

The cop scribbled, "Your name is?"

"Kara," Kara replied simply, then remembered to add, "Danvers."

"Where is the phone now?" the cop continued.

Kara looked at her hand, then towards the woods. "I dropped it, I think."

"Do any of you know where the suspects were going?"

Kara answered immediately, as though the question was directed at her. "They are going someplace to fire some nuclear missiles at terrorists."

Everyone was shocked at Kara's response, though not all for the same reasons.

The cop said, "Stay right here," as she ran over to the rest of the cops.

When they were alone, Cookie asked in a whisper, "How did you know that?"

"Don't answer that," Alex instructed Kara quickly - and rudely, Cookie felt.

"Why?" Cookie asked Alex urgently. "How did she get here?" Cookie now knew not to expect a response, but their sudden secrecy was upsetting. Whatever was going on, they were all in this together. Couldn't they see that?

Silence.

"You know they are going to ask us a lot of questions," Cookie tried again. "If you have some kind of a secret, fine, I wouldn't trust me either, but we at least need to get our stories straight. What should I tell them?"

Alex and Eric looked at each other, almost panicky. They knew they had to give up something.

Kara looked at Cookie honestly and said simply, "I'm special."

Cookie nodded. That was kind of obvious, now, but it was not enough. Cookie knew all about manipulation, but now she was trying to protect a secret that she wasn't privy to. Maybe if she could keep her mouth shut, they could get by, but the cops would likely be questioning them as much as possible, now that they knew Lex was involved. Truth or lies, they needed to coordinate something that made sense.

"Ok, forget about where you were," Cookie decided, then asked Kara, "What did you tell them at 911?"

"Nothing," Kara said. "I dialed but I didn't say anything."

Cookie nodded. She had heard that cops could track a cell phone, she just didn't know how well. "OK, so this is what you say: you dialed 911 just before those assholes attacked you, but then you had to hide the phone before you could say anything. Unless someone has a better idea."

Kara nodded, and nobody disagreed. Did they really want for her to take charge? Or maybe they just expected it.

"Okay," Cookie breathed more easily, comforted that they had a plan, even if it was a bad one. She thought she looked calm, but then realized that she was fiddling with the buttons on her blouse, making sure they were all there and fastened. That was bad. A sign of weakness.

Cookie noticed that both Alex and Eric were staring at her. She worried about what they were thinking.

One of the buttons on her blouse broke off between her fingers.

She forced her hands down at her side. She had to look calm, not for the cops and not for anyone, only for herself. Her former friends had broken her a few days ago, and now Lex's lackeys had almost done it again. She couldn't be someone out of control. She just couldn't.

X X X

Cookie felt like a common criminal in a grimy interrogation room, like her dad was grilling her, accusing her of all the things she was careful to hide from him, and pressing hard to find a crack in her testimony.

But the room was really just an office at the police station, and the two detectives who were questioning her were very kind.

The two cops couldn't have looked any more different. The taller one was in full police uniform and clean shaven. The shorter cop appeared to be the boss. He was wearing a white dress shirt that was a size too small and had a thin beard that didn't look intentional. He looked exhausted. But they both seemed very professional.

"Do I need a lawyer?" Cookie asked.

They both raised an eyebrow and looked at each other. "Well, if you ever think it might help, let us know, but we just want to ask a few questions about what happened to you. You are not suspected of anything. We just want to know anything you can tell us that will help us find your friend Lena."

And Lex Luthor, Cookie reminded herself. Did they give even a small shit for Lena? Lex Luthor was at the top of the wanted list, and Lena was just a high school student currently with purplish hair. But it didn't matter if they cared. Finding Lex would help them find Lena.

"Why do you think they took her?" asked the boss cop, as he brought a steaming mug of coffee to his lips.

"Don't you know who she is?" Lena asked, and then suddenly worried that maybe that was the secret she was supposed to keep.

"Do **_you_ **know who she is?" the cop asked. "I guess it doesn't matter now who knows. Yes, Lena is Lex's sister, and frankly I was really surprised to find that you two were friends, given who your dad is."

Hearing him describe the two girls as friends made Cookie feel both comforted and guilty. "Lena is not like Lex. She's a good person."

"You still feel that way, after Lena led you right to him?" the cop tested.

"Lex only wanted Lena," Cookie insisted. "We were just at the wrong place at the wrong time."

"If she is so good, why did Lex kidnap her?" asked the taller cop.

Cookie hesitated. Lena's telepathy was a big secret. She was sure of that much. But it would be a really important secret to the police, too. That was why Lex wanted Lena: Her ability to read the minds of whoever knew the nuclear launch codes. Shouldn't Cookie tell the police that? Wasn't that important? If she told, would Lena's friends hate her even more, if that was even possible? If Cookie didn't tell, would they?"

"Any idea at all why Lex took her?" The boss cop tried again. "Sometimes the silliest thoughts are the keys to the puzzle."

Cookie shook her head. "I just know that Lena knows something that will help Lex launch some missiles."

The boss's eyes grew wide open. "She knows the codes?"

"Maybe," Cookie replied. That was close enough to the truth. "I guess so."

He frantically scribbled in his notebook then tore the page out and gave it to the other cop, saying simply, "FBI, now."

The tall cop nearly ran out of the office, leaving the door open a crack.

Now Cookie was there, alone, with the boss.

"Just one more thing, then you can go," he said, then he immediately contradicted himself as he sifted through his notes. "Well a few things, really, I just can't make sense of. What about the two trees that fell across the road? These were two healthy trees that fell on a clear, windless night. It was like they were pushed over. Any idea what happened here? This all just seems to convenient."

Cookie shook her head innocently. That wasn't an act. She really had no idea, and she hadn't even given it a thought until right then. Now that he had described what happened in words, it really did seem very strange.

The cop frowned. "How about the 911 call. Did you see Miss Danvers make the 911 call?"

Cookie shook her head again.

"It's just strange that the call lasted almost ten minutes, but all we have is the sound of wind and traffic sounds. You told us earlier that Mr. Luthor was talking almost constantly, so I don't understand why we can't hear anything he said. Do you have any idea where the cell phone was? Did it fall out of the van?"

Cookie stared at the cop in disbelief, but all she could do was shake her head. She had no idea that the phone even existed, or why the call would contain wind sounds, or most mysteriously, how Kara ended up in the woods right next to the van. It was almost as though she had flown there.

The cop shook his head, clearly as frustrated as Cookie was becoming. "OK, one last thing. Several witnesses saw Mr. Luthor shoot something in the sky that fell to the ground. Do you know what that was about?"

"All I remember is that Lex suspected that Superman was outside the van, so he jumped out of the van and started shooting," Cookie said, then her eyes opened wide, as the facts suddenly came together in her mind. They had found Kara in the woods, as though she had fallen from the sky. If she had been flying, then the wind sounds on the phone made sense. If she had been flying, then maybe she could have followed them on the highway without being seen. It all made sense, now, yet it was clearly insane.

Then Cookie remembered how Kara had run away from her house on Christmas eve, so light on her feet, she looked like she was flying.

Kara's words came back to Cookie. "I'm special," she had said. What an understatement!

The cop shook his head in frustration, as he stuffed papers into a folder and gestured for Cookie to get up.

"Well, thank you for your help, Miss Clifford," he said while leading her out of the office. "I believe we have all we need for now. If you remember anything, no matter how small, call this number. If you need a ride home, please wait in the lobby. I see your friends are already there."

Cookie paused when she saw "her friends" sitting on a bench. Kara was staring back at her. How much could Kara see? Could she see right through her?


	24. To the Rescue, part 1

Alex and Kara were waiting in the parking lot outside of the police station for Eliza to arrive with her Camry.

The police had offered to drive Cookie and Eric home, since their parents weren't available to pick them up, but they declined, since they didn't live very far away. None of them did.

The four teens talked for several minutes while Alex and Kara waited, and finally Eric blurted out, "To hell with waiting, I need to walk."

And just like that, they all hit the road.

Eliza wouldn't be happy that her daughters left without any warning. Maybe if Alex had her cell phone they would have called, but informing their parents was not a priority. Eric knew his foster mom would have lost no sleep even if he had died. Cookie's parents didn't even know that their child had been in danger. Eliza was the only parent that knew what was going on, but Alex was upset with her for not being at the police station already. Eliza had known where they were the whole time they were being questioned by the police, yet she still wasn't there by their sides after more than an hour of waiting. So if Alex's mom bit their heads off later on, she was fine with that. Let her prove she cared.

But Eliza was not on Alex's mind at all while they walked through a park en route to their respective homes. They even stopped at a play area and sat on the swings somberly while reliving the day and examining each scary moment.

The conversation didn't get very far before they had to face the elephant in the room: that the three friends were lying to the non-friend in their midst, trying to keep their secrets, even while the truth was collapsing around them. It was like trying to argue that the Earth was flat to someone who had just entered orbit.

Oh, they tried to keep Kara's powers hush hush, avoiding the topic as must as possible, but inevitably Cookie insisted on answers. Eric had perfected the image of a shy boy who just wouldn't talk, and Kara had learned long ago to let Alex handle the deceptive part of their lives, so Alex kind of winged it as the designated liar.

"That's the story you are going with?" Cookie asked more than skeptically. She actually seemed insulted. "You are telling me that Kara stole a motorcycle and chased the van until it was forced to stop, and then she wiped out in the woods to avoid detection."

Kara looked at Alex, who answered for her. "Well, sure, what's so hard to believe about that?"

"Seriously? Did the cops really let you get away with that crap? There are so many holes." Cookie sighed and shook her head, then she started counting the problems with Alex's story on her fingers. " I just can't imagine Kara riding a hog, much less hotwiring one. How did she avoid detection that whole time? The van has mirrors, you know, and motorcycles are conspicuous. How did you know she would be in the woods, when you couldn't even know about said motorcycle? Why were her clothes destroyed, but she wasn't even scratched? Why did you yell out to Kara when Lex fired that ray gun thing into the sky?"

Damn! thought Alex, Cookie had been part of so many deceptions, she could see through anything Alex might come up with. Cookie was out of Alex's league, but Alex was not the push over she once was. After all, she had learned from the master, and she knew that even when you are cornered, you never apologize and concede; you stand your ground and fight for your lie to the end. Especially for this lie. She would not give an inch. She insisted, "I don't think even Lex knew what he was shooting at, and I was just worried that he might be shooting at Kara. They didn't see Kara because she was driving with the headlight off."

"How did you know Kara was even out there?" Cookie insisted. "And yes we DID know where Lex was shooting: he was shooting at the sky! You know it, and I know it. But that's not even the most important thing: how did Kara know what Lex said in the van? If you're gonna lie, at least think it through."

"Kara didn't know what Lex said; I'm the one who told the cops what Lex was talking about," Alex said with a straight face. She piled on the lies, hoping that repeating the lies enough would make Cookie doubt her own memory. She knew her arguments were falling apart, so she tried to shut the conversation down with, "I'm tired of arguing. I don't even know what you think happened. You sound insane."

Cookie laughed, clearly insulted by the rapidly disintegrating web of lies, then she looked at Kara, who could not meet her gaze.

Dammit, Kara, thought Alex, why are you so bad at lying when you have the biggest secret around?

But Kara's strategy of being shy and quiet was working better than Alex's strategy of contradicting obvious problems with their story. At least Kara wasn't confronting Cookie, and maybe for that reason, Cookie held off attacking her.

"Just stop it!" Eric finally interrupted. He had been quiet until then, but now his patience was done. "I'm sick of your lies, and I'm sick of her lies. Everybody is lying. All I know is that Lena is gone, and we're just standing here doing nothing, and the big guy is still stuck in Korea."

The cops had told them that North Korea was now threatening Japan, who the Koreans blamed for causing their tragic fire, but Alex knew that somehow the crisis was Lex's doing, as he hoped to keep Superman on the other side of the world.

"Well, there is nothing WE can do," Alex insisted. "We just have to let the police and FBI handle that."

Eric gave Alex the evil eye, challenging her, but when Alex wouldn't give in, he looked to Kara instead. "Is there REALLY nothing we can do?"

Kara could barely meet his stare, and Alex knew her sister would cave in a moment, so she stepped between them.

"We already did as much as we can," Alex said. "We told the cops everything we know, and the FBI is already on their way to the launch control center. They'll stop Luthor from doing anything."

"When they talked to me, they didn't seem concerned about Lena," Eric said sadly. "They didn't even seem worried about anyone in the launch center. They were only worried about stopping those missiles from being launched. That federal guy said that 'every other concern is secondary.' I think they are going to go in guns blazing."

Cookie nodded. "When they grilled me, they obviously thought that Lena might be as bad as Lex. I don't think they will try very hard to help her."

Now Alex felt cornered, being attacked now on both sides. "Well, I don't know what you want for us to do about it. We are just high school students."

Now Eric and Cookie both stared at Kara, and Cookie said. "Really? I think at least one of us is much more than that."

"Now wait a second," Alex began, again stepping between Cookie and Kara, trying to protect her sister.

"No, she's right," Kara finally said.

"Kara, don't," Alex pleaded.

Kara looked at the ground, appearing depressed, not wanting to disobey Alex, and that made Alex feel very guilty.

But Cookie finally stopped beating around the bush and confronted Kara directly. "I know you are special. You have some kind of … abilities," she said. "Don't deny it."

"People could get hurt, so please don't tell anyone," Kara pleaded, "but I am from Krypton."

Alex closed her eyes. No matter how friendly Cookie had seemed today, she was the last person Alex trusted with this secret.

Cookie nodded. "I kind of figured that."

"Okay, so now you know," Alex conceded angrily. "It doesn't change anything. Kara doesn't have any experience with this sort of thing."

"She did pretty well saving us earlier," Eric countered.

"She almost got killed," Alex reminded. "I will not let her go out and try to save Lena alone."

"Who said anything about alone," Eric said with determination.

"I'll help if I can," Cookie added, mirroring Eric's expression.

"And why would you do that?" Alex asked doubtfully, but she was finding it increasingly difficult to deny that something was different with Cookie. She just couldn't figure out what or why.

"Lena was my friend," Cookie said casually, but then she swallowed as the significance of what she was saying slowly hit her. "Lena IS my friend."

"Then we have to help her," Kara finally declared. "But how?"

Alex sighed. She couldn't fight them all.

Eliza was going to be so pissed at her for letting this happen.

X X X

They had a goal: Save Lena. But they did not have a plan. That did not stop them from moving forward.

The first step in any plan was finding a ride. Kara could fly, but if they were all going to be part of this harebrained rescue, they needed a car.

Fortunately, Cookie's parents had a third car in their garage that was used only for special occasions. So the army of four teens marched to Cookie's house and prepared for battle.

Alex did a little research on Cookie's computer, while Cookie gathered a supply of energy bars and bottled water. Kara raided Cookie's wardrobe for something to replace her torn rags. She settled on a gorgeous dark blue dress that showed very little skin, but it fit like a second skin. This was hardly a battle uniform, but the dress would make her nearly invisible when flying by night.

She was caught admiring herself in the mirror, and both Cookie and Alex fussed over her.

"Wow," Alex said adoringly.

"That is totally you," Cookie agreed. "It's yours if it survives the night. And here, take this wig, so nobody will recognize you."

Kara smiled and posed in the mirror. She really liked the way she looked with black hair, and somehow, in this dress, even her boobs looked perfect. For the first time when she looked in the mirror, she didn't feel that sense of doubt that always creeped in.

"Very pretty," Eric approved in his understated way. Then he added anxiously, "but we don't have time for this."

Kara smiled, then she pushed her vanity aside. "Sorry, let's do this."

They closed up the house and opened the garage door. They all gawked as the lights of the street lamps glistened on the well polished car within.

Unfortunately, the car at their disposal was a silver convertible 2005 Porsche 911, which posed several problems, least of which was the trouble Cookie was going to get into for even touching her dad's toy.

First of all, while the car was beautiful, it was also conspicuous, and keeping a low profile would be nearly impossible. Secondly, Alex was the only person in the car with even a learner's permit, and the only car she ever drove before was an anemic Ford Focus. Finally, the only way to cram four passengers into the sporty toy was if two people sat sideways in the back with one person in the other's lap.

Debate began who would get to ride shotgun, and which two would be stuck in the nearly intimate conditions in the back. Alex felt cursed, being the only person who could drive, or the choice would have been obvious. Ultimately it was decided that Kara would sit on Eric's lap, and Cookie would join Alex in front.

When Alex pulled out of Cookie's driveway, she unintentionally left a streak of rubber in the road. Alex wasn't sure if she did it out of frustration, or if the car was just too powerful for her to handle. Then, a few short roads away, Alex hit a speed bump without even thinking to slow down. The car bounced several inches into the air. Kara and Eric squealed in surprise in the back and Cookie flashed Alex an angry look.

"Sorry," Alex said.

Cookie shrugged, her anger already gone, and she turned her head towards the rear. "How are you doing back there?"

"A little bruised after that last one," Eric said, "but we're getting to know each other a little better."

Kara giggled.

"Just keep your hands off the merchandise," Alex chided playfully.

"Oh sure," Eric replied, as if she was asking for the impossible.

"How about some music?" Cookie suggested, as she turned on the radio. She skipped through the stations, bouncing from commercial to commercial, until she finally stumbled on an indie station playing a song by 3 Doors Down that coincidentally they all loved and seemed oh so appropriate.

At first they merely tapped their feet or hummed along until someone gained the courage to sing a word or two and before long they were all singing with the confidence and talent of someone singing in the shower, and the four flawed voices somehow seemed perfect when singing together.

The music also seemed to help Alex to tame the metal beast under their asses. She felt like she had graduated from learner to professional racer, despite the fact that several drivers were passing her on the highway.

"You are really getting the hang of it," Cookie complimented.

"Thanks," Alex replied, pleased, but this was no time for her to be enjoying herself. "Do you know how far Long Beach is from here?"

"Yeah, my family goes there sometimes," Cookie replied. "I think we have at least another hour to go, but I have no idea where this 'launch control' is."

"Yeah, I couldn't find it on the net. Maybe we just need to look for the police lights when we get there," Alex said, minimizing the challenge ahead of them.

Cookie smiled at Alex then started to sing along to a new song that just started on the radio.

Alex smiled awkwardly, then stared back at the road ahead, determined to be a safe driver, but also avoiding eye contact with Cookie. She felt weird. Wrong. She was actually getting along with Cookie, and she wasn't sure how to feel about that, but she wasn't sure it was a bad thing. She had to admit that Cookie was being very helpful, more helpful than she ever remembered her being when they had been official friends. Perhaps the difference was that they had a common goal. A real life or death kind of situation. Did that mean that she could trust her now?

She gripped the steering wheel and shifted in her seat. She was feeling much more comfortable now behind the wheel.

When she had first started the car back in Cookie's driveway, the vibrations of engine and the explosive acceleration had made her tentative and nervous.

But now the vibrations filled her with excitement. She was feeling more confident now. More forgiving. More energetic yet more relaxed. And so much warmer.

After a run of songs on the radio, the sound volume jumped as some celebrity started talking about the benefits of some new diet product, and Cookie dutifully pressed buttons to escape commercial hell. A few seconds of jazz, and couple of guitar riffs from Pink Floyd, and finally settling on Justin Timberlake singing "My Love". Alex flashed Cookie a curious eye. She knew for a fact that Cookie was not a Timberlake fan, yet Cookie was sitting there, eyes closed, face flushed, head bobbing and rubbing her thighs.

Alex laughed, because it seemed absurd, but when Cookie started singing along, Alex joined in without a second thought. She knew she was singing poorly. She was feeling hot and anxious and holding tightly to the stick shift, even though the car was an automatic.

Cookie's voice was trailing off, leaving Alex singing alone.

It was then that she realized that Kara and Eric had not been singing for a while. In fact, she hadn't heard a peep from them since the first song had ended, so Alex glanced at the rear view mirror.

She had to look twice to be sure of what she saw happening in the back seat.

Then she hit the brakes a little too hard, startling everyone, as the car skidded to a stop on the side of the road.

"What the…" Cookie started, her face a mix of heat and shock.

Alex took a few deep breaths, collected herself, then she turned her head to face the back seats and ordered, "OK, everyone out!"

After a moment of collecting themselves and a few contortions, everyone climbed out of the car on the side of the highway.

Cookie appeared totally confused, while Kara and Eric stared at the ground in obvious embarrassment and exhibiting clear signs of sexual excitement and an aura seemed to glow around them.

"OK, Kara will sit in the front from now on, or we're not going anywhere," Alex demanded, literally putting her foot down hard.

"What the hell is going on?" Cookie asked, more confused than angry.

Alex threw her hands up in surrender, not caring now how many secrets Cookie knew, anymore.

"Kara is not the only person here with special abilities," Alex disclosed.

X X X

Cookie wondered if she would ever get used to these surprises. When she had learned that her best friend was the telepathic sister of her family's deadly enemy, she could barely handle it. Then only today, she found out that Kara was a super-human, and that posed as many questions as it had answered. But learning about Eric's ability really messed her up. In fact, it was life changing.

That was because she didn't just learn about Eric's ability; she had experienced it. It had taken her over, invaded her heart, and stole her reason, and she didn't even know it was happening.

Reason told her that she should feel violated, just as violated as when Andy raped her in her sleep, or when Lex's lackey had felt her up in the van.

But she didn't feel violated at all. She had felt warm feelings today like she had never felt before. She had even cried today, and she hadn't cried in years. She had always felt like something was missing inside of her, some ability to feel, but now those feelings were there. And that was because of Eric.

So she didn't feel violated, but she was confused. Her emotions had been tossing around like a juggler's pins, but she had assumed the struggle was within her own psyche. Those feelings felt as genuine as any of her own. She had thought she was discovering what it meant to be a real friend, and what it meant to be intimate. But maybe she wasn't discovering anything. Maybe all of the new feelings she was discovering were merely the reflection of what was going on inside of Eric. Would those feelings remain when he was not around?

And maybe in turn, this usually creepy boy owed his warm feelings to the charming, pheromone charged super-girl that had entered his life.

Did the source of feelings have anything to do with their authenticity?

Cookie suddenly understood what had happened in that biology classroom. She had always thought it was just a pure display of crude sexuality, and she never quite understood why almost everyone involved was drawn to Kara like bees to honey, and why people bent over backward to defend her. But it wasn't just Kara. It wasn't only her sexuality that had captivated them. It was Eric's love for her that moved them, and then it became their love for her.

Now, Cookie knew the same feeling. The feeling didn't seem corrupt or fake or dirty; it felt genuine, even if the feeling didn't originate from within her. In fact it felt more genuine than any of her real feelings, maybe because she could sense that everyone else around her was also feeling it. It connected her intimately with the people around her. The feeling had filled her with goodwill. Yes, she was tickled sexually, but she had never experienced it this way before. It was expansive, socially expansive, like cheering in a crowd watching a home run, or being in a church where everyone was singing with abandon, or marching with friends in a parade. It was exhilarating.

And finally that connection they had felt towards Kara made a lot of sense to Cookie, who had lived most of her life starving for such feelings. Today, she was tasting the crumbs that Kara and Eric dropped on the ground behind them. Then, a few minutes ago, she joined them for a meal. Now that she had a taste of that, and now that she knew that the feelings did not come from within her but from other people, she couldn't let those people get away.

Was this the start of a growing friendship, Cookie wondered, or was it just the start of an addiction?

X X X

The rest of the ride to Long Beach was awkward, though quite pleasant, and everyone felt more comfortable driving in silence, now that all of the secrets were laid bare.

Kara and Alex sat in the front seats, re-establishing the proper order of things, holding hands and snuggling, while Eric and Cookie watched them from the back seat.

Cookie sat on the left in the back in a yoga pose, with her legs folded beneath her, and Eric sat sideways on the right, with his bare feet on her lap.

Cookie closed her eyes, as if in a meditative state, and she let Eric's feelings invade her mind. It was a pleasant experience. His feelings were much milder now, not strong enough to submerge her own feelings beneath them, but if she cleared her mind, she could feel the gentle waves of emotion splash against her.

His suspicion of her was fading, she sensed, while warm feelings for her were taking their place. She wondered how much that had to do with his legs resting on her lap. Or maybe he was just imagining that she was Kara. Maybe Kara's pheromones were still affecting him from the front seat.

Before now, his feelings for Cookie had always been understandably harsh, so it was no wonder that he had always seemed creepy to her. But it was completely different, now. When he was calm, his power was much less threatening than Lena's. In fact, Cookie felt at peace like she had never felt before. She was beginning to realize how lucky she was to have such special friends.

Cookie had lived most of her life feeling alone. She had always surrounded herself with allies and acquaintances, but she could never really sense or trust their feelings, and when she opened up to them, they never understood her feelings.

Then Lena came along, and she knew exactly how Cookie was feeling. That scared Cookie for a long time.

And now Eric is in the picture, and she knew exactly how he felt, and he knew how she felt, because they were the same feelings. Now that she knew that, it was a very peaceful experience.

Eric shifted his feet on her lap, and Cookie felt a wave of anxiety make her shiver, followed by a wave of longing, but for what she wasn't sure.

She found her answer in Eric's face.

Cookie could tell that Eric was thinking of Lena, and thinking of her in danger was very upsetting to him. It was upsetting to them all.

Then, suddenly, an idea popped into Cookie's mind, fully formed.

"I think I know how we can save Lena," Cookie said. "But you might not like it."


	25. To the Rescue, part 2

Alex turned down the car radio in anticipation of hearing Cookie's idea, but Cookie didn't seem to get the hint, and all anyone could hear for a long moment was the rumble of the Porsche's engine and the resonance of the tires on the road.

"Well?" Alex finally demanded impatiently, "You can't just say something like that and stop?"

"I don't know how to ask this," Cookie dawdled, unsure how all of them would feel about their once mortal enemy asking them a personal question. Finally she asked Eric, "How far does your, uh, ability go? I mean, if you hit your funny bone in one room, would I feel it in another?"

"I dunno," Eric replied casually, as though the question wasn't personal at all. "I've never really measured it, but the stronger I feel something, the further it goes. Lena once told me that when my dog died two years ago, she felt something in her house, and she lives a block away."

Kara nodded, adding, "Once I understood what he could do, I could sometimes feel him all of the way across the school."

"But you and Lena are both special and like super-sensitive," Cookie said, then looked at Alex. "How about us regular people?"

"It's the same for all of us, I think," Alex replied, then she laughed. "Sometimes when I feel like shit, I blame it on him."

"Ok," Cookie began, satisfied with that answer. "Did you ever think of using that power against Lex?"

Eric shook his head vehemently. "That wouldn't help at all! The angrier I would get, the more dangerous Lex would become. I mean, I probably shouldn't even be here on this 'mission'. I could only make matters worse, but I have to do something to help Lena."

Reminding Eric about Lena and Lex immediately accelerated the heartbeats of everyone in the car, giving Cookie a clear example of his power, and she motioned for him to settle down. "I'm not talking about using your power that way. What I was thinking was maybe using your power to bring out the good feelings in Lex."

"I doubt that ass has any good feelings," Alex responded with an anxious laugh.

Cookie flipped her joke around. "Then maybe you can give him some feelings he had never felt before."

"I don't think it works that way," Eric said more calmly. "Besides I don't think I could feel anything nice about him. If I see him, I'll just want to kill him, and that won't help."

"Yeah, I'd feel the same way," Cookie nodded. "But I wasn't saying that any of us should get anywhere near him. I mean, maybe we don't need to confront him at all. If we can just get near him, but someplace where he couldn't see us, and then you send out some good vibes, maybe he'll give up this insanity."

Eric shook his head again. "'Good vibes' wouldn't do anything. Calm feelings don't travel."

"I wasn't thinking of calming him down," Cookie said, rolling her eyes, frustrated that she had to spell out her idea in detail. "I was thinking of maybe doing something like what you did in the car a few minutes ago with Kara, or like what you guys did in the biology class."

"No fucking way!" Alex responded immediately, apparently ready for this idea. "I mean it's like asking Kara to undress before him."

"No, no, he wouldn't even see anything," Cookie started. "I think the only person who would feel exposed is Eric."

Alex did not like that idea any better. "Yeah, OK, but you are suggesting that Kara get undressed in front of Eric, then."

"It's not like it would be the first time," Cookie replied, dismissing Alex's obvious jealousy. "But she doesn't need to get undressed. It was amazing what she did to him when she was back here in the car with her clothes on."

The car swerved slightly, making everyone stiffen. Alex pulled off to the side of the road to give this outrageous idea her full attention. She tried to ignore Kara's curious eyes, because Kara clearly wasn't as upset by the suggestion as she should be, as Alex wanted for her to be. She didn't have to look at Eric to know how he felt about it. Instead she stared right at Cookie, saying, "It's not fair to make Kara do that! She's not a tool! Why don't YOU play around with Eric if you like the idea so much?"

Cookie was taken aback. "I wasn't suggesting they have sex or even make out. Maybe just hug each other." Cookie turned to ask Eric, "It's obvious that when you are close to Kara, you feel good, right?" He didn't immediately fess up or deny it, so Cookie turned back to Alex. "I could never do for him what Kara can do. I don't have those pheromones or whatever you said she had."

Alex looked like she was about to explode, until she looked at Kara, who was watching with such concern in her eyes that Alex settled down. Finally, she asked, "Would you want to do this? I know it's crazy, but if you want to do it, well… it's ok."

Kara shook her head. She wasn't objecting to the idea. She just didn't want this conversation going on anymore, because it was upsetting Alex so much. The bucket seats of the car and seatbelts prevented Kara from surrounding Alex with her arms, so she reached out and surrounded Alex's hand with her own.

"Then it's up to you," Alex told Cookie decisively.

Cookie sighed sadly. "It's not the same. After all of the stuff I've done to Eric and to all of you guys, I don't know how Eric could ever respond to me the way he does to Kara."

The girls all fell silent, recovering from the bombshell of an idea Cookie had dropped, when Eric said, "Does anyone care what I think?"

Everyone stared at him as if surprised that he'd have an opinion. He always seemed so calm, deliberately controlling his emotions, that they forgot that the effort was for their benefit, and it did not mean that he didn't care.

Kara nodded reassuringly.

"I'm sorry," Alex said.

"Of course," Cookie added, putting her hand on his ankle in a weirdly reassuring gesture.

"Thank you," Eric said politely, then turned firm. "I'm not someone you can press a button to make me happy or radiate friggin' niceness like some magic spell."

Then he looked at Kara. "Yeah, I like you a lot, but I could never feel good knowing that it will make one of you hate me."

He turned to face Cookie, "And yeah, Lena was right, there is something different about you, and maybe we can be friends, but we're not there yet."

Finally he turned to Alex, saying, "And while we are already friends, I don't think you could ever feel close to anyone besides Kara." Then he added with a wicked smile, "Besides, you're not my type."

Alex rolled her eyes, "Oh, excuse me!"

Cookie laughed, and Kara joined in, reassured that it was OK to laugh.

"Do you always say what is exactly on your mind?" Cookie asked Eric playfully.

"He's usually super quiet, like Silent Bob," Alex replied. "We like it that way."

Eric stuck out his tongue, but Alex didn't see it, as she started the car engine again.

The car tires threw up sand and the car accelerated on the breakdown lane and re-entered the empty highway.

They would not mention Cookie's idea again as they sped through Long Beach. The silence was getting awkward, as the gravity of what they were doing creeped back into their minds. Kara saved them from further worries by cycling through the radio stations again. She stopped on a song by Rihanna, and she and Alex locked eyes for a second, then started singing along.

X X X

As the name suggests, Signal Hill is a tiny city situated on a hill. They drove to higher ground and got out of the car and took in the view below. There was sparse vegetation and tree cover on the hill, so once their eyes adjusted to the darkness, they could see for miles under the near full moon. They could make out many roads and landmarks, and the lights of the city beyond were beautiful to behold, but they saw no signs of of law enforcement or criminal activity.

"I swear the cop said 'Signal Hill' on the phone," Alex prepared to defend their plan, should this all prove to be a big waste of time.

"I heard him, too," Kara agreed. "And the lady on the phone said …"

Kara trailed off.

"Well, it doesn't look like …" Eric began

But Kara raised her hand to stop him from talking, then she pointed out into the night. Everyone's eyes followed her finger to a patch of land beyond the lights of the city below. After a moment of focusing, they all saw the flicker of red, white and blue lights streaming a line outside of the city.

"That's it!" Eric pumped his fist excitedly, for the first time really believing that maybe they would see Lena again.

They jumped back in the car, and Alex drove like a mad woman to catch up with the entourage of cops who were a mile away and were a moving target.

But Kara wasn't losing sight of them, and she kept pointing the way like a compass, and fortunately the roads were mostly straight and parallel, so Alex had no trouble following Kara's direction.

Even so, the sixteen year old driver had trouble handling the car in the darkness at 75 MPH and more than once it felt to the passengers in the back seat like they might careen into a ditch or a guard rail.

"Jeez! Be careful!" Eric demanded from the back seat when the car seemed ready to spin out after hitting a patch of sand on the road.

"Don't worry," Kara reassured calmly, holding onto the roof of the car with her right hand. "I won't let us crash."

Even knowing that Kara was a super-girl, Cookie wasn't very reassured. She was sure the convertible top would just rip off if Kara grabbed it too hard. But Cookie decided to trust her anyway.

Cookie was more concerned about what would come next. They had planned on how to get here, but not what to do when they arrived. Her friends had ridiculed her plan, but they had offered nothing to replace it, and now they needed to plan on the fly.

Soon, everyone could see the police lights parked up ahead on the side of the road. When they were about a third of a mile away, Cookie said firmly, "Pull over."

"Why?" Alex said reluctantly.

"Do you want to drive right up to a bunch of cops and FBI agents and explain what we are doing there?"

Alex thought for a moment then pulled behind some tall bushes.

The four wannabe heroes exited the car.

Alex pressed a button on the car keys to lock the doors, and the car alarm started blaring, and the headlights flashed.

"Oh shit!" Alex said, dropping the car keys in a panic. "I'm sorry."

Cookie calmly picked up the keys and pressed the alarm off. "Don't worry about it. We are still a ways off; I'm sure nobody noticed it."

They walked well away from the road, hoping to not be seen by what was quickly becoming apparent as a swarm of cops, agents and even some soldiers from the national guard.

There were only a few trees and bushes to hide their approach, but so late at night, the cover of darkness was plenty to prevent discovery.

All of the commotion was focused on a wide single level building that looked as secure as a bunker, so it was clear that the authorities were only concerned with what was inside, not with anyone approaching from the outside. Besides, the intruders quickly discovered that the facility was already defended by a large, electrified fence, which would normally discourage anyone sneaking around. The fence barely even slowed down the heroes, since one member could easily transport her friends to the other side.

The space between the fence and the building was mostly empty except for three parked cars in a space reserved for about twenty. Even with just the moonlight, anyone looking in that direction would clearly see someone sprinting from side to side. But nobody was watching, except for a few security cameras. Kara melted those, and then they hurried across.

Now they were near the rear of the building, but there was no sign of a door to enter by or a window to look through. In fact, all they could see was a long wall built of 30 inches of concrete reinforced by steel bars within, all covered with plain white, chipping paint. Clearly this was designed to withstand a heavy bombardment, maybe even a nuclear attack, so long as it was not at ground zero. The only entrance to the building was at the front, where the men with guns were, and reinforcements were being added by the minute. There was no need for the forces to be anywhere else, since presumably nothing could get in anywhere else, and nothing could get out.

"I don't know if even I could get inside this," Kara concluded, as she admired the unimaginative but highly effective fortress.

"You underestimate yourself," Alex reassured.

"Well assuming we can break our way in," Cookie said, "we will need to know where Lena and those bastards are."

"Can you see inside?" Alex asked Kara.

"It's not easy," Kara replied, staring hard at the building. "The walls are really thick and I think this is lead paint, but I can see stuff that looks like blurry shadows. Some of them are moving, but I can't tell who is who."

Cookie suggested, "If you see shadows marching around, those are probably the good guys. Look for any shadow that is not like that."

Kara was shaking her head, until suddenly she stopped and stared intently. She walked alongside the wall until they were at the very back of the building. "Here. There are several men standing over two men who are chained to a chair. Lena is standing by a very thick metal door, I think."

Cookie raised an eyebrow. "That doesn't sound like a blurry image."

Kara nodded and explained, "Because they are right behind this wall. I mean, if there was a door here, we could jump right into the same room."

Eric, who had been keeping his cool until now, suddenly blurted out, "Then we can save her! You can just punch your way in, right?"

Kara bit her lip and looked at her fists, that suddenly seemed tiny. "I dunno…"

"No, you can't," Alex insisted.

"You just said..." Eric began, frustrated.

Alex interrupted, clarifying, "Maybe she's strong enough to pound her way in, but if they are on the other side, maybe she would hurt Lena, too. Besides, you are forgetting that Lex has a gun that can kill Kara."

Everyone fell quiet after the initial enthusiasm.

"Then what can we do?" Eric finally complained.

"How about the roof?" Cookie suggested. "Can you see any way in through the roof? Maybe if we drop in, we can sneak up on them."

Kara floated up a few feet until she could see the whole roof. "There are some large metal pipes sticking out like chimney's. Maybe we could climb through."

"OK, let's try that," Eric said impatiently.

"Well, let's at least look at the pipes," Alex said more cautiously.

Kara nodded. She lifted Alex and carried her up to the roof.

But when Kara turned around to get Eric and Cookie, she suddenly ducked for cover as several lights on top of poles suddenly switched on and flooded the whole exterior of the building.

Alex peeked over the edge of the building and saw several soldiers marching double time towards them. In a few seconds, they would all be caught.

"They're coming!" Alex whispered loudly to Eric and Cookie below. "Hide somewhere, and we'll see what we can do up here."

Then Kara and Alex crawled away from the edge of the roof, out of sight of both her friends and the soldiers.

Cookie and Eric ducked behind an old F-series Ford pickup truck, but they knew immediately that would not be enough, so they climbed inside the bed of the truck and laid down beside a few heavy boxes that were covered by a tarp. They pulled the tarp over themselves just as the soldiers rounded the corner of the building.

The soldiers came to a stop right beside them.

Cookie and Eric were laying face to face, terrified to breathe.


	26. To the Rescue, part 3

Alex crawled quickly from the edge of the roof to the large roof cap.

She thought that Kara was right behind her, but Kara was still peering over the edge.

"What are you looking at?" Alex whispered.

"I was just making sure they are OK," Kara replied, now quickly crawling to Alex's side. "They are hiding in the back of that red truck."

"Hmm, it's just as well that they are stuck there," Alex said. "It's too bad they can't sneak back to athe car."

Kara frowned. "But aren't we stronger together?"

Alex shook her head. "You heard Eric; even he thinks it was a bad idea for him to be here. And Cookie would no doubt stab us in the back the first chance she gets."

Kara looked sad. "Oh … but she's being so nice, now. You aren't giving her a chance."

"Oh right!" Alex laughed. "I had given her way more chances than she deserves. I even helped do her dirty work. I tried my best to make her happy, and she just used me over and over. I learned my lesson; why won't anyone else? She screwed all of us over and over, and she'll do it again, but you guys all just want to forgive her."

Kara's face moved from sad to confused to angry in a span of a few seconds, then back again, and Alex hated herself for making Kara feel that way.

"I'm sorry," Alex said gently. "I know you like to see the best in people, but some people don't deserve the benefit of the doubt."

Kara bit her lip and refused to look at Alex, clearly upset by Alex's attitude. She looked at Alex like she was the mean girl, not Cookie.

Alex wasn't going to give in on this. Kara knew it, but she wasn't going to give in, either.

Kara got too excited when people wanted to be her friend, and she got too upset when they didn't. She was the perfect victim for Cookie's schemes, but Alex wasn't going to let Cookie hurt any of them ever again, even if she had to look like the bad guy to prevent it.

But now wasn't the time to argue about this. Kara was eager to help Lena. This rescue attempt was even more dangerous than was trusting Cookie, but there was no way Kara was going to let Lena sacrifice her whole life just to keep her friends safe. Alex didn't want that, either, but she sure didn't want for Kara to risk her life, too. Alex would rather have gone on this mission alone. Kara, despite her powers, really didn't know how to be a hero, but nothing Alex could say would stop her from coming along.

Rather than argue, the two girls decided to focus on their mission. They looked at the roof cap, which was blowing warm, stale air in their faces. It was about two feet wide, but now that they were close, they could see that under the copper frame and the bird screen was an aluminum tube less than a foot wide, much too narrow for them to climb down.

They could hear the scratchy murmur of an aging fan, circulating the air, and some faint, hollow sounds in the background.

At least that is what Alex heard; Kara heard a whole lot more.

"I can hear them!" Kara said excitedly.

"Who? Lena? Lex?"

"Yeah, and a bunch of soldiers, too, but they are far away. I think Lena is much closer," Kara pulled off the roof cap and peered down the pipe, and then tried to look through the roof around the pipe, struggling a bit. "There is a fan right below this pipe, then a bunch of tubes going in different directions, but the closest tube goes right into the room where they have Lena."

Alex reached out to Kara's face, stroked her cheek affectionately, then suddenly she removed Kara's glasses and put them in her pocket. "If we are going to do this, you don't need these hurting your vision, right? Now what are they doing down there."

"Umm," Kara said, swallowing, looking a little ashamed at having her glasses removed, which made Alex feel guilty.

Alex and Eliza had done this to Kara, making her feel sometimes more ashamed to show her powers than to show her body. But now, with a little encouragement, Kara was starting to feel not just powerful but also empowered.

Now Kara peered through the ceiling like it wasn't even there, and she listened closely to the conversation through the pipe. "Lex captured two men down there. He is asking them for hints about launch codes, but it seems like he doesn't care what they say; maybe he wants them to think about the codes, so Lena can read their minds," Kara said, with insight that impressed Alex. "But Lena is not saying anything, kinda like she can't read their minds, or like she doesn't want to... Oh, no! One of his jerks just shoved Lena to the ground, yelling at her!"

Kara was shaking with anger, suddenly, and she looked like she was about to punch her way through the concrete, just to get inside.

Alex raised her hand, "Calm down! They don't have the codes yet, so they aren't going to hurt Lena, not seriously at least, not until they have what they want. So we have time to figure out a way into there that doesn't involve collapsing the ceiling above them."

"Oh...Okay," Kara said, nodding and collecting herself. She stood up on the roof, despite that it might make her visible to someone on the ground below, but the black dress and wig she was wearing was pretty good camouflage against the dark night sky. Kara walked around the pipe, looking down and processing the scene like a pro. She gave the pipe a small nudge, then the slight curve of a smile wrinkled her lips. "I think this pipe is stuck to this heavy block, but the block is kind of loose. Maybe if I pull hard on the pipe, the whole block will lift out, and we can climb down into the vents."

"You are getting good at this!" Alex said, giving Kara her best "I'm impressed" look. "Okay, we're in business."

X X X

It was hard to fully express how embarrassing it was sometimes to be Eric, and nobody ever seems to appreciate how hard he tried to keep his emotions in check. He had learned many tricks to keep his passions down, because when his feelings got away from him, it was like he let out a big fart in a crowded room. Victims never knew where the disturbance came from, except Lena, but it was embarrassing nonetheless.

Lena sometimes joked that Eric was the only teen that everyone knew exactly how he was feeling, but that's not really true. Sure, his feelings radiated to everyone around him, but that was not the same as people understanding what he was going through. It was like they were all using the same recreational drug, but people can all experience that drug differently. Someone might say they are having a high, and another would say they are fucked up. Eric always felt like he was experiencing the drug that was his life alone. He couldn't talk about his feelings honestly, without really embarrassing himself, so it just didn't matter if they were all "high" together. It was never the same "high".

That's why having someone like Lena as a friend was so important to him. She gave him permission to feel, without worrying that he was in some way invading people's hearts and minds.

Now he had three friends who knew his secret, and had never felt so lucky.

He just wasn't sure about the girl he was with now, in the bed of that truck, but he hoped she would be his fourth friend, because things were feeling pretty intimate right about then.

When all four of them had been riding in the absurdly cramped rear of the Porsche for an hour, Eric wasn't sure he could take it. First having the utterly adorable Kryptonian rubbing up against his lap with her very warm body was a recipe for disaster. He had done better with Cookie, limiting his contact with her to his feet, and he was understandably wary of her, allowing him to keep some emotional distance.

Now was a different story. They were laying face-to-face in the cramped bed of a pickup truck. Eric was being pushed into Cookie from the wheel-well pressing into his back, and Cookie was pressed into Eric from heavy boxes on the bed behind her. It was an absurd mix of discomfort with pleasure. The grooves in the floor pinched his side, while Cookie's soft sweater was pressing into his chest. One of his arms was pinned over his head and quickly losing circulation, while his other arm was wrapped around Cookie as if in an embrace. The musty tarp they draped over themselves smelled faintly of oil and spiderwebs, while Eric admired that Cookie's breath smelled nice even after such a stressful day. He worried how his own breath smelled, since he hadn't even brushed his teeth that morning, more than 13 hours ago, now.

His emotions were going crazy in a feedback loop, since he knew Cookie could feel his feelings, and likewise she couldn't hide her feelings from him, because when his feelings were this strong and when they were this close, he knew his feelings were rubbing off on her in some way.

As embarrassing as all of that was, he could handle it, because there was a much bigger danger than how Cookie and he would feel about each other after this: There were several soldiers standing just beyond the truck talking about their orders, and they were definitely close enough to be put on edge by his psychic energy.

Cookie and Eric laid as still as possible in the truck with their hearts beating in unison, waiting for the threat to pass.

One soldier said, "This is crazy, there's no fucking door and no fucking windows back here. What's the point?"

Another responded, "Ours is not to question why, but maybe the sergeant meant that we should spread out. Obviously nobody is coming through this wall, and if they are, like with a bomb, we probably don't want to be standing right here!"

Yet another soldier. "Nobody's coming through here. I think sarge wants to keep our eyes out for the missiles."

"What missiles? There are no silos here. Just one of those abandoned Nike sites. Aren't they working on chemical stuff here?"

"I don't know. I heard someone say 'Minuteman missile,' so they must have some here they don't want anyone knowing about, maybe for some kind of pre-emptive attack."

"Well, shit! I thought those were all like really far away in Montana or somewhere. What do they want us to do if a missile is launched? Jump on it like a grenade? Fuck that."

"I don't know. Let's just find the fucker. If there's a silo here, it must be pretty big. There is probably a whole lot more here than meets the eye."

Then the voices trailed off, as the soldiers walked away in different directions, but Cookie and Eric kept completely still. For all they knew, one of the soldiers was still right beside the truck smoking a cigarette.

After a minute, Cookie whispered into Eric's ear, "Wow, this is scary!"

Eric waited a moment, worrying that someone would pull the tarp from over them and yell "Ah ha!"

But when that didn't happen, he whispered back, "Yeah, I just hope Lena is OK."

"Just Lena?" Cookie asked. "What about the whole world?"

"Lena is the only person who ever cared about me, so I don't really care too much about the world," Eric said defiantly, not really caring if it offended Cookie or anyone else.

That shut Cookie up for a moment, and then she shivered. "Wooww, so this is how you feel about Lena! It feels so … strange."

Eric felt like pushing her away right then. It was bad enough that she knew exactly what was in his heart, but now she was insulting his feelings.

"Oh, no, I didn't mean it like that!" Cookie responded quickly to the change in attitude. "I meant it in a positive way."

"How could that possibly be positive?" Eric challenged.

Cookie didn't seem to want to answer the question. She seemed either embarrassed or ashamed herself. "It's just that I've never felt like this before. It's like … new."

Now Eric was intrigued. Nobody had ever said that to him before. "Felt like what?"

Cookie's voice softened, even beyond whispering. It was like she was giving a confession. "It's not just right now. I mean, it's been like this all day. It's just the way you feel about things. It's like now movies make more sense."

Eric laughed, but then he realized he was now making fun of her, so he stopped. "Like, what makes more sense? What movies are you talking about? "

"All of them," Cookie said.

And then Eric realized that Cookie was crying. He felt her tears as she moved to wipe them away, and that shut him up. The ice princess was melting, and he had never seen it coming.

Up until now, Eric had been trying to pretend like they weren't pressed together like two pieces in a puzzle. Up until now, he didn't know what to make of Cookie's sudden turn around today, but now he pulled her in even closer and whispered in her ear, "Hey, hey, it's OK. We'll get out of here. Everything will be fine."

He was pretending like he didn't know what was going on, thinking that is what she would want.

But now Cookie seemed stronger, and she was determined to share what was happening to her.

"No, no, I'm OK," Cookie insisted. "It's just kind of overwhelming. Do you know what I mean?"

"Well, I'm not really sure," Eric said. "My feelings are contagious, but feelings come in layers. Some feelings are entirely yours."

"I have a shrink, did you know that?" Cookie said a little too loudly, but by now it was pretty clear that the soldiers had moved away from the truck.

"No," Eric replied, surprised.

"Yeah, my parents were always getting upset with me, so they sent me to a counsellor to figure out what was wrong with me," Cookie said, laughing. "Funny thing is that they found something. They said that I showed 'sociopathic tendencies,' and that I didn't feel things right, and that I couldn't empathize. I didn't know what they were talking about. It sounded like they just wanted to brainwash me into being a 'good' girl, demure and humble. So I pretended, and everyone left me alone. I guess I got pretty good at knowing what people wanted, without ever wanting the same things. I just wanted control. I thought that was the happiest I could be, was when I was in control."

"Then last week, I lost that control," she continued gravely. "Everyone turned on me, and they even got me drunk, they fucking raped me and posted pictures online. You know... they gave me a taste of my own medicine. But that wasn't the bad part. The bad part was that it didn't matter. I know that sounds totally stupid, but all that shit that went down just made it clear that they didn't really care about me, and I didn't really care about them. It was all meaningless. It was all just some kind of fucking game we play in high school, and it just made me feel empty, but that is how I always felt, so it was all so meaningless, so hopeless and so familiar, so I thought 'I can take it,'" Cookie said, defiantly, but the pain in her eyes told Eric that she was pretty devastated.

"And then Kara came along and gave me that coin, and I felt something. What she did ... it meant something to me. Maybe it was because you were there, hiding, and I was feeling what you were feeling, but I didn't know that, and I don't even care now, it didn't change that I felt something. It didn't even feel good. In fact, it felt terrible, because I knew I didn't deserve any kind of gift from anyone, and definitely not from Kara. But it also felt amazing, because I was actually feeling it, and I could never feel that before. Then, after you guys went away, that feeling slowly faded away.

"That's why I had to be with you guys today. I needed to feel that way again. I know this sounds really stupid. I know today has been a really bad day for a lot of reasons, but in another way, it has been the best day of my life, and it's all because of you."

Eric was floored. Just a minute ago, he was wondering if he could ever trust her, and now he felt like he had never met anyone so honest. He worried that maybe he was starting to like her too much.

X X X

Getting in through the roof was not as easy as Kara had suggested. Although the block on the roof was not sealed into place, it literally weighed a ton, and pulling it out without making a lot of noise was tricky, especially for someone who was inexperienced with her powers. Then she had to disable the fan that was blowing air through the pipe from below, and finally the girls needed to descend through the hole into the air ducts, also without making a racket. The air ducts were made out of thin steel that naturally amplified any sound in them, so that was really the hardest part.

But once they were crawling in the air ducts, the task was much easier. The tunnels were apparently made so that a large man could crawl through to clean them, but the ducts were plenty roomy for two teenaged girls. Kara and Alex crawled so carefully and slowly that they barely even made a creak in the ventilation structure. They only needed to crawl about ten yards before they were directly above the room where Lex was strongly encouraging Lena to reveal the launch codes.

Now, space was getting very tight, as Alex crawled beside Kara to get a better look through the air grate and to share whispers with her sister, without being heard below. Kara needed to lay on her side, while Alex inched her way forward until they were face to face, bodies touching, very much like what was happening in the truck outside between Eric and Cookie.

For two girls who have been sleeping together for a couple of weeks, Kara was surprised by how intimate this felt. She felt naughty and insecure and affectionate, but that was so inappropriate. "Ok, we got here, so now we just need to come up with a plan," Kara whispered, trying to focus on their mission rather than her sudden, insane urge to make out.

If Alex was feeling the same way, she didn't show it. Her eyes darted around, as confusion wrinkled her brow. "Why aren't the good guys storming into here already?"

Kara pointed with her eyes through the grate, just out of view. "The door there is huge like a vault, and the walls are crazy thick. A lot of the guys aren't even in the building anymore. I think they are trying to do something outside."

Alex frowned. "Then this really is up to us."

"So should I break out of here and … tie them up?" Kara suggested, struggling to even state a plan, because she was not sure if she could really hurt anyone.

"Tie them up?" Alex repeating, mockingly. "I hope you are prepared to do more than that. See that gun next to Lex? That is what blew you out of the sky earlier."

Kara stared at the gun nervously. She was tempted to simply blast it with her heat vision so nobody could hold onto it, but that would tip their hand, and maybe they had other surprises waiting for her in that room. So the girls just laid still, secure and cozy in the vent, spooning like they were on the couch at home, watching the drama unfold like they were watching TV in the livingroom.

Lex's thugs were towering over two restrained men wearing undecorated air-force uniforms, doing nothing but being intimidating, while a smaller man kneeled down and spoke to the soldiers hypnotically: "This place used to be a big deal during the cold war, right? I know, you never actually had to fire your missiles, but just knowing you guys were down here with your courage and launch codes was enough to topple an empire. Now, terrorists just laugh in our faces, and little countries with nukes they don't know how to use think they can push America around. The public never even thinks about you guys and your courage. They don't think you serve any purpose anymore, because America is too scared to flex its muscles. But with your codes, you can put everything right. We can make America great again."

Across the room, Lex was sitting beside Lena who was squirming on the floor. Her eyes were glazed, as she was clearly drugged. Lex spoke to her quietly, like he really cared. "Are you comfortable? I'm sorry to keep pushing you, but I know you must have picked up the codes by now. These tools aren't the kind of men who could keep their thoughts under control. Remember, you agreed to help me if I let your friends go. A deal is a deal. I know you think you are doing something noble, but you aren't, really. The people we will punish with these bombs are the worst of the worst. Sure, I'm sure some of them are innocent, but we have to think of our country first. Just think, once this is done, I'll send you back to your friends, and the world will be a safer place." His voice suddenly seemed less patient, when he asked, "So, what do you say, sis?"

Lena shook her head with tears in her eyes, but for just a moment she looked up across the room, and Kara was sure she was looking right at them, sensing them through the metal pipes, drawing courage from knowing they were there.

Kara bit her lip, as her determination grew and her patience slipped away. She didn't know what Lex and his men were saying; she had only learned for one semester in school, so she knew almost nothing about world events or history or even what a nuclear weapon could do. But she did know Lena, and she knew that Lena was afraid. Kara swore, "If he touches her, I'm going to crash right in there. They won't know what hit them."

Alex smiled at Kara in admiration. "Now, THAT's the attitude!"

X X X

"Do you remember my plan?" Cookie asked. "You know, the one I mentioned in the car?"

Eric nodded. "Yeah, it seemed a little crazy to me, to think that a little mood enhancement could really stop World War 3."

"I don't know," Cookie countered, full of admiration at Eric's power. "You managed to totally turn the school over to Kara's side and upend everyone's opinion about the dress code just by getting a boner in class."

Eric laughed, a little embarrassed. "I think that was mostly Kara."

"But it wouldn't have happened without you," Cookie insisted, while she caressed his face. "I don't think you really realize what your power can do. You can fix people who are broken. You are fixing me right now. Maybe if your feelings are strong enough, you can make Lex feel something he's never felt before."

Eric was melting under Cookie's touch. "I don't know if giving Lex a boner will really solve anything."

Cookie felt like slapping him, and her voice turned hard. "Be serious. I'm not talking about sex. I'm talking about, you know, actually caring for someone."

But Eric WAS being serious. "I don't know if I can really feel like that now. I can't just start caring about someone on a whim."

"Really?" Cookie asked, disappointed and confused. "Then what is this feeling I have now?"

"Well, it's not love," Eric said, embarrassed but firm in his denial. "What can I say? You are very sexy to me right now, so I can't help feeling a certain way in here."

Cookie shook her head, just as firm. "I know what being turned on feels like, and this is not that!"

Eric sighed. "OK, yes, I am beginning to like you, but that's not going to do much. I'd have to love you, and not just that, but the insane kind of love that flips everything upside down. I think that's what it would take."

"That's not what this is?" Cookie asked, amazed.

Eric shook his head. "Not even close."

"Well, what would it take to make you love me like that?"

"I don't know," Eric replied, laughing. "If I did, I'd make a lot of money."

"Do you love Lena like that?" Cookie asked. "Does she turn your world upside down?"

As soon as she asked it, she knew that it was true. She could feel a gentle affection wrap around herself like a blanket.

"A little," was all Eric would admit to, but if he had been attached to a polygraph, that little needle would have been bouncing all over the place.

Cookie could feel the difference.

"OK, so I don't do it for you," Cookie stated, clearly disappointed. "I'm not Lena. I'm not even Kara. And sure, I get it, I'm lucky you even tolerate me. But let's talk about Lena. What is it you like so much about her?"

Eric's face was incredulous, as if it was the stupidest question in the world. "Well, we've been through alot together. Lex had put us both through hell before, and that's why I'm sure whatever you are trying to do right now won't work. The way I feel about Lena never helped us get out of all the shit he put us through before."

"Did you know that Lena and I were kind of close last year?" Cookie said, ignoring Eric's negative attitude. "We were as close as I'd ever been to anyone, anyway. She was a little weird, but I thought she was pretty cool. She never judged me, so I liked talking to her. Then she told me about that mind reading stuff and I freaked out. She knew stuff I didn't want anyone to know, so I felt like I needed to destroy her."

"If you are trying to make me like you more," Eric almost spat out, "you are doing a piss-poor job of it."

Cookie nodded. "I know. But the thing is that Lena never really gave up on me. It was like she saw something in me that was never really there. It was like she knew there was a gas lamp that just needed to be primed, but she didn't know how to set the flame. Until today. Until you came around. Because of you, I can finally see how Lena really is. I totally understand why you would prefer her to me. It's no contest… and I can accept that, but … I hope we can still be friends, because you are making all of the difference for me, even if I don't understand why you are making me feel the way I am feeling."

Eric swallowed, as though he was having trouble digesting all she had said. "OK, maybe I'm a little confused, too. Everybody acts like love is this simple thing…"

In mid sentence, Cookie's lips suddenly locked on Eric's. She awkwardly put an arm around him and pressed in tight, desperate to not let this moment pass.

Then Eric abruptly pushed her away, because in her enthusiasm she had pressed his back against the wheel well in a very uncomfortable position.

"I'm sorry," Cookie apologized, trying to collect herself. "SO sorry. I just wanted to know what this would feel like. Not a kiss, I mean I've done that before, but not when I really …"

Eric leaned in, and their lips were locked again, more gently but with no less passion. This time no minor irritations were going to stop them, nor the decaying smell of the tarp, nor even their unresolved memories of past wrongs. These bitter ingredients only added an exotic flavor to their feast, making it even more special.

X X X

The sound of machinery cutting into the wall meant that the time for patience was at an end. Kara could see people fixing explosive charges outside of the room. The walls were reinforced with steel bars, so one round of explosives probably wouldn't be enough for the cops and agents and soldiers to blast their way in, but time was running out.

"Damn it, Lena," Lex said desperately. "You know if you don't tell me the codes, I'll have to torture these men. Let that be on your deluded conscience."

"Please don't," Lena pleaded, as she looked sadly at the stoic soldiers, who were ready to meet their fate.

Then a loud dull sound shook the room; the explosion barely knocked some paint off of the wall, but Kara could see heavy damage on the other side.

Lex grabbed Lena's arm roughly. "Alright, you win, you've turned stubborn as fuck since the orphanage, but I'm gonna tame you again, it's just a matter of time. This mission is fucked. There's no time to torture anyone, and these guys would probably be tougher to crack than most. So let's go."

Lena looked bewildered. "Go where? We're trapped."

Lex laughed. "You really didn't think we'd come here with no plan to get out, did you? Right behind these shelves is a door to some stairs that lead down. Way down. There is an old network of rooms below here from the sixties, when this site serviced a dozen nukes and anti-aircraft missiles. There isn't much left down there, but it does extend way beyond the parking lot outside to a secret exit. When they finally blast their way into this room, we'll be long gone."

A few men pushed the shelves aside and opened the heavy door. One thug disappeared beyond the door for a few seconds, then yelled out, "Clear."

Lex yanked on Lena's arm gently, without his usual menacing stare, but Lena followed him anyway, until a new bang disturbed the room, but this concussion wasn't muffled. It was more like a pan falling on the floor.

They all looked across the room, where they saw a girl dressed in black climbing out of the ceiling and then falling very gently to the floor, landing like a ballerina.

They all stared with saucer eyes as she walked towards them with innocent determination.

"Who the fuck are you?" Lex asked, more amazed than upset. Apparently he didn't recognize Kara, since she was wearing a wig and had removed the glasses. He had barely got a good look at her before, anyway.

"I think you should let Lena go," Kara said simply, without any hint of a threat.

"Who is she to you?" Lex asked. "And why would I do that?"

"Lena is my friend," Kara replied. "Everyone really likes her at school, and we would miss her. She is happy there. You are acting mean, but she is your sister, and I know how special that is. Do you really want to make her a criminal like you? If you let her go and be happy, maybe she will forgive you for all of this someday."

Alex was watching the scene unfold from the ceiling. She had recommended that Kara crash into the room and disarm them before they knew what hit them, but Kara did what she always did. She decided to just ask nicely. Alex could barely keep herself from yelling out and spurring her sister into action, before Lex could reach for that horrible gun.

But Lex wasn't threatening Kara, or dismissing her request outright.

"Yes, she's my sister," Lex said simply. "I'm not going to hurt her. I'm going to make her more powerful than she's ever known. What do you think YOU can offer her?"

Kara looked at Lena sadly. She reached out her arms like a gentle angel and said simply and strongly, "I can love her."  
Another boom shook the room, this time cracking the wall and sending dust through the room.

But even that could not distract Kara and Lex.

Lex scanned Kara's eyes, then he saw how Lena looked at her friend.

He let go of Lena's arm and threatened Kara, "OK, she is not worth the effort, anyway. Just remember: If you save someone's life, you are responsible for them."

Lex snapped his fingers and started walking away, followed immediately by his men. They disappeared through the door, then down the stairs, locking another blast door behind them.

Kara rushed over to Lena. "Are you OK?"

Lena nodded, then she quickly turned to look at the two soldiers who were still handcuffed to a pipe near the floor. "I'm so sorry," she told the men, "I never wanted any of this."

The two men didn't react, as though this might all be part of a trick.

Kara walked up to them. She snapped the chains of their handcuffs like they were made of styrofoam.

Alex climbed down into the room, amazed at what Kara had done. She asked, "How are we going to get out of here? We can't go out the doors."

Kara nodded, then she walked under where the ducts were in the ceiling. The structure was very flimsy, so Kara simply reached up through the thin panels and yanked a whole section of the ducts straight down, revealing the hole in the roof they had just climbed down.

Kara boosted Alex back up through, and she had to carry Lena, who could barely even stand from the drug. Alex helped pull Lena the rest of the way to the top of the roof.

Before Kara jumped up and climbed out herself, she looked at the soldiers who were watching in amazement. "Do you want some help getting out?" Kara asked.

They ignored her and instead walked over to the huge blast door that was separating them from their fellow soldiers.

Kara shrugged. "Just asking."

When they next looked her way, she was gone.


	27. Auld Lang Syne

The rescue was a huge success, but the heroes clearly showed their amateur credentials in the aftermath.

The soldiers that Kara had freed quickly relayed word of Lex's attempted escape to those in charge, and a swarm of soldiers conducted a fast and thorough search of the grounds surrounded the facility. In a matter of minutes, they managed to capture Lex and his gang, but they also caught Cookie and Eric still waiting for their chance to escape from the pickup truck.

The distracted couple gave inconsistent accounts for why they were at a well guarded, top secret military site during an international crisis, so they were escorted to a rather impressive looking FBI car. Apparently, when nukes were involved, law enforcement didn't mess around.

Kara and Alex and a woozy Lena watched helplessly from a distance while their friends were put in handcuffs and driven away. The Danvers sisters helped Lena back to the Porsche, intending to covertly follow their friends, but before they could even open the car doors, Kara saw that they weren't alone. In an instant they were surrounded by FBI agents. Unlike Cookie and Eric, they kept their mouths shut, rather than lie, but to the same effect: they were escorted to a FBI car and driven away.

For the second time that night, our heroes were reunited at a police station, but this time they were grilled by FBI agents, who were much less friendly than the local police. After all, as far as the agents could tell, Lex had recruited a bunch of teens to execute his criminal plans.

But the FBI proved to be very good at putting pieces together, and within an hour, all five teens were escorted out of the police station and into a FBI van.

This van was much nicer than Lex's. The interior was designed almost like a small conference room, with bench seats on the sides and a long, thin table that could be unfolded up from the floor. Several tiny notebook computers were piled in a corner, suggesting this wasn't where the FBI usually held prisoners. The teens were left alone in the room, uncuffed, for what felt like a long time before a female agent came through the back of the van and closed the door behind her.

She was dressed in an all-black uniform and looked totally badass. She made a big impression on Alex, who would want to dress like her ever since. The five friends were intimidated as the agent stood over them, but then she took a seat, bringing herself down to their level. She opened a folder and withdrew five freshly printed documents that reeked of laser toner. Then, as she leafed through the sheets one at a time, she spoke to each of the teens in turn:

"So you are Lena Thorul, AKA Lena Luthor, sister of public enemy number one, and one of a very few verified true telepaths. And you are Eric Dominello, another of Luthor's orphanage survivors, suspected to also possess telepathic powers, though details are sketchy. Next we have Cookie Clifford, daughter of a high profile attorney, and Alexandra Danvers, daughter of noted researchers of Krypton. And finally her adopted sister, Kara Danvers, whose file is stamped classified three times, and it was a bitch to get clearance to decrypt it, but now that we know that you are Superman's cousin, your little adventure all makes more sense," the agent said, then added with a chuckle as she sifted through the folder. "There are a lot of fascinating relationships here."

The teens all felt uneasy, worrying how much of their private lives were contained in those FBI files. No doubt that was the agent's purpose: to remind them who had the upper hand. But with that established, the agent shifted gears, and she made three points things clear:

1: No charges would be pressed against the teens.

2: The country was in their debt for helping stop a disaster they could barely even imagine.

3: The most important thing she wanted to make clear was that the heroes needed to keep a low profile and not draw any attention to themselves. They had stumbled into some seriously classified activities, so they were strongly encouraged to never speak of their role in protecting the country to anyone and to keep their histories and abilities to themselves.

This last point didn't square very well with the first two points, but the agent sweetened the deal by pulling another sheet of paper from the folder, and she held it up, framing it in her hands for them to admire. It was a simple black & white photograph of Lex's face, probably copied from a mug-shot, with the word "WANTED" stamped on the top, and $1,000,000 promised on the bottom.

"This will be yours," she tantalized, "since you were so helpful in the safe capture of Lex Luthor. Of course, you will have to split it five ways, and since you are all high school students, most of your reward will be kept in trust until your eighteenth birthdays. But we'll give you a taste of it now, and in a few years, you'll have a free ride through college."

"But for now, here is the 'official version' of what happened: None of you saw Lex Luthor tonight. None of you were in his van. None of you were at the police station. None of you were on Signal Hill. None of you were illegally behind the wheel of a Porsche. And of course, none of you were here talking with the FBI. You all spent the night in Ms. Thorul's home, and had a fun time doing whatever you kids like to do. Got that?" she said, fixing her eyes on Kara, who was the only person who didn't seem totally onboard.

Alex immediately answered for Kara, sounding a little like her mother: "Don't worry, she'll be fine."

The FBI took care of everything from that point, making sure the teens had no trouble getting back to the quiet, normal, angst-filled lives of students at Leesburg High. Several agents drove the teens home, debriefed their parents, got the local police on board the program. They even filled Superman in on the plan, and teased him by saying that his cousin and her friends had pulled off what he had failed to do during the past five months that Lex was at large.

X X X

Eliza had given the police a piece of her mind when she had arrived at the station and found that they had let her daughters simply walk out the front door. She had driven home, preparing a tongue lashing for both girls, but the house was empty. Then she had driven aimlessly around town, worried about where they might be, before finally returning to the police station, losing her mind. One policeman had the gall to say that they had more important things on their agenda than tracking down her daughters, but then a more senior, very tired looking officer took Eliza aside and told her that he was just informed of where her daughters were, and that they were OK, and that they would be returned home within a couple of hours.

X X X

Kara and Alex were nervous when they finally returned home that night, but the FBI had debriefed Eliza before they arrived, and she was actually really cool about everything that had happened. Clearly, the FBI let her in on some of the facts, but they were encouraged to not talk about it, which was good, because if they ever started talking about how Alex drove without a license, or how Kara used all of her powers out in the open, the mood would change really fast.

Eliza let the girls sleep in the next morning, and did they ever sleep! They were still in bed when Eliza returned home from work. They only woke up for an early dinner, an hour together on the computer and then a few hours in each other's arms, curled up on the couch watching television, before they went to sleep again. Eliza was patient through all of this; she only wished she could get as much rest herself, after so much worrying the night before.

They all woke up early on Saturday morning, and Eliza was determined to make the last weekend of 2006 a happy one. Using some of the girls' early reward money, Eliza drove her daughters to the mall and supervised a whirlwind back-to-school shopping spree to replenish their aging wardrobes.

Alex was fixated on black, trying to make herself look exactly like the FBI agent that so impressed her. Eliza shrugged, preferring a brighter look for her daughter, but she saved her negativity for Kara's choices.

Kara, as always, liked the short skirts and cute sweaters, but this time she also wanted that same tank top that was destroyed when she fell out of the sky.

Eliza would have none of that, because none of Kara's choices adhered to the new dress code their school had adopted, and which Lena had condemned as "fascist". Kara complained about Eliza's choices, but Eliza seemed to delight in reminding Kara how the FBI wanted them to "blend in." All students were required to wear shirts with collars and sleeves, with no designs of any kind, not even a brand label. Skirts were to be strictly measured, and this time there were no underwear loopholes.

Kara showed no interest in any kind of pants, so Eliza pushed Kara into choosing brightly colored knee length skirts, which she would only be allowed to wear with opaque tights. She also pushed Kara into trying on a long sleeved, button up blouse, but Alex came to Kara's defense, and they finally settled on a few blouses with short sleeves.

Before long, it was clear that Kara was not having nearly as good a time as Alex was buying clothes, so Eliza decided to try something different. She drove the girls to a tech store where they could pick out their own cell phones, to replace the nearly obsolete flip-phone that was lost over the highway. Alex had drooled over the new Motorola Q phone ever since Cookie had shown her phone off months ago, when she was part of Cookie's clique, so Alex chose the black model, and Kara got the same phone in silver.

As much as Eliza wanted to spend time with her girls, she could not ignore the far-off look in their eyes. As soon as the girls started charging their phones, they were urgently trying to store Lena and Eric's phone numbers. So when their friends showed up at Eliza's house unannounced, and Kara and Alex looked up at her with puppy eyes, Eliza waved them out the door, saying, "PLEASE be careful this time!"

X X X

Eliza had invited Lena, Cookie and Eric over for New Years Eve. Cookie's parents had their own plans, so it was just the original four hanging out at the cozy Danvers homestead, watching TV in the living room while Eliza served them food and pretended to not listen to their conversations while Eliza was in the other room.

Eric was feeling a little down, because Cookie wasn't there to celebrate the first night, and the two had become very attached during the rescue. The girls were doing everything they could to cheer him up, because that's what friends do, but with the added incentive that a bummed out Eric was a real bummer to be around. So Eric had plenty of girls fawning over him, even if the girl that mattered the most wasn't there.

Until that night at Signal Hill, everyone had had their opinions about who Eric should be with. Lena had thought Eric and Kara were a good match. Kara and Alex had both thought that Lena and Eric were meant for each other. Nobody in a million years would have picked Cookie as his match.

But nobody doubted Cookie's amazing turn-around anymore, either, and nobody had any confusion about what caused the change: Eric's power had awakened a part of Cookie that few had believed existed. Even Cookie herself admitted it, and she was probably just as upset as Eric was that they were being kept apart that night.

On the television, the broadcast broke away from various diversions when the clock hit 11:57, and the arrival of the new year was imminent. Kara looked at Eric. She could see the sadness on his face before she could feel it spreading throughout the room, and she regretted that even with her powers, there was nothing she could do to help her friends be together.

But then suddenly it occurred to her, she **did** have the power to help them be together. She ran into her room and was back on the sofa at inhuman speed, so everyone was now looking at her, as she handed her telephone to Eric.

"Do you know Cookie's telephone number?" Kara asked.

Eric shook his head, embarrassed.

Lena took the phone from his hand, typed in the number, then gave it back.

It was now 11:59.

"Cookie?" Eric said with a voice full of affection, making her name sound like an endearment. "Yeah, I'm watching, too. It's so good to hear your voice."

Now, all five friends were together on a sofa meant for three.

Eric hugged his best friend Lena with one arm, while he talked to his special friend on the phone, and Kara and Alex kissed long and deeply as the new year arrived.

X X X

Kara thought that New Years Day was way too short.

For the first time since they had potentially saved the world, all five of them had the whole day together without any parents playing chaperone.

They spent most of the day at Cookie's home, and she was so happy to have everyone over, she had literally wrapped up late Christmas presents for everyone.

For Kara, she had folded up every dress, skirt and even lingerie that Kara had showed interest in when they were dressing Kara up before the rescue. She included a t-shirt that made Kara laugh. On the attached card, she wrote, "This barely compensates for the gift you have given me - and I'm not talking about that gold coin!"

For Alex, Cookie had wrapped up a new, top-of-the-line laptop to replace the computer she had stolen a month before. On the card she wrote: "I am SO sorry about EVERYTHING. Please let me start to apologize with this offering. The original computer was broken, but my dad copied all of the files to this computer."

For Lena, she gave a gold necklace with a little platinum witch riding a broom for a pendant. On the card she wrote: "For the girl with the x-ray mind, can you read my mind now? Thank you forever for forgiving me even when I didn't deserve it."

Tears streamed down Lena's eyes when she saw the gift, and she rushed over to embrace Lena.

Kara, Alex and Eric all looked at each other, wondering what the little witch meant, but alas only Lena among them could read minds, so that would remain a secret between Lena and Cookie.

Finally, Eric opened his gift, revealing an antique wooden Pinocchio doll. Like the others, he read the card aloud: "Hold this toy over your heart, and I know he will come alive! Because that is exactly what you have done for me, and now I am completely yours!"

Eric did as instructed and feigned disappointment when wood remained wood, but then he pulled Cookie to his heart instead and poured his magic directly into her.

They spent the rest of the day playing dress-up, Wii games and eating way too much delivery food.

Kara could not be happier.

But as the day was coming to an end, and they sat together watching TV, they started talking about going back to school tomorrow, and for the first time Kara realized that for the entire semester she would have no classes with any of her friends. None! They would be with each other three times per day: When they arrived at school, when they ate, and when they left.

Of course, Kara would have Alex every other time of the day, and they could always meet after school and on weekends, but Kara was already feeling lonely just from thinking of how much time they would be spending apart.


	28. Damned If You Don't

Bobby stood alone at the main entrance to the school, watching as students ambled in for the first day back after the holidays. He wasn't waiting to meet friends. He didn't have any friends of that sort. He wasn't exactly a loner. He was just a little different in some ways, so he was never accepted into a group. The door to the social scene had always been closed to him.

There was one group that left the door open a crack, and he wanted in. But Bobby did not handle anxiety well. When he wanted to be cool, he freaked out. When he tried to be the fun guy, he ended up being obnoxious. When he liked someone, he acted like a creep. He was a real choke artist at sports: if he was trapped into taking the big shot or catching the big pass, he would miss in an epic way and probably break something in the process. Sometimes he could see himself as if from the outside, and when he did he wanted to shrink away in shame. But no matter how worthless he felt, this one social group never slammed the door in his face.

And that was because of the person that group centered around, Kara, who was weird and awkward, too. She would jam her foot in the door, keeping it open whenever it seemed about to slam shut. Somehow, she had turned being weird into a kind of being popular. Nobody knew how she did it. It was like magic surrounded her. She had gone from being an outcast to being a symbol of both freedom and acceptance.

But not everyone liked what she represented. Some people don't like change. Some people don't like freedom.

The school board and parents got together over the holiday break and installed a new, stronger dress code, and declared a zero tolerance policy. In their arrogance, they had thought they were really in charge.

The group that Kara had inspired then organized on MySpace to break the dress code in some way, and the message of civil disobedience spread through all of the media that was under teenager control until it was in full force when the first buses arrived in 2007. There were dress code violations everywhere from suggestive t-shirts to yoga pants. Word was spreading throughout the school that 30 girls were going commando, taking Kara's lead. The number was probably an exaggeration, but the very suggestion put the school administration in a quandary: how could they enforce a dress code that had no student support, and that required that they strip search any suspects?

Bobby himself decided to free-ball it today, as one of the girls had dared him to. He was totally onboard.

The principal and his assistant were on the sidewalk before the first buses arrived, preparing to pull any violators aside and crush the rebellion before it could gain momentum, but they were not prepared for the onslaught of rebels, so they quickly retreated to their offices.

Then Kara nearly upended everything when she stepped off her bus, dressed in a button-up white blouse and long plaid skirt over white stockings, as if she was determined to not only follow the letter of the dress code but also it's intent. It was a slap in the face to everyone who had raised this former outcast onto a pedestal, and who were marching as if to war with her formerly tiny miniskirt raised atop their flagpole.

As if that were not bad enough, when Kara and her sister approached the lockers, they were greeted with a hug by Cookie, of all people! This was sure to knock Kara out of many kids' Top 8. It wasn't a complete surprise to those who were her friends on MySpace, because Kara and Lena had sent several messages about burying the hatchet with Cookie, but most of the school remembered what a mean girl Cookie had been and they were relishing Cookie's fall in the Leesburg social structure. Cookie represented the opposite of what they had loved about Kara.

Andi walked up to Bobby, as he watched the sad spectacle unfold, and as Kara's social status was collapsing. She nudged him and said, "Beat off to that."

Bobby winced. When Kara had suggested that Bobby masturbate any time he couldn't stop obsessing over her, the advice had gone viral on both MySpace and Facebook, and he became the butt of jokes even at other schools. He knew his behavior didn't help. Everyone could see that he always had a huge crush on Kara. But Kara's status had risen, and she liked him, so being star-struck was forgivable.

Except that now her popularity was waning.

Before this turn of events, Bobby had thought he was lucky because Kara was in all three of his classes to start each day of school. When they started geometry in first period, he sat as close to her as he could, but she barely even noticed him.

Instead, she probably noticed the chatter around her. Some who had admired her were wondering aloud why they had thought she was so special, and those who had thought of her as a slut were now calling her a poser, meaning a slut pretending to be a lady.

And Bobby thought they had a point, not that he would ever call Kara a slut, but she was clearly pretending to be someone she was not.

While being near Kara still filled Bobby with butterflies, he had to admit he was losing some respect for her as his hero.

He started feeling sorry for her in history class because she looked like she was feeling miserable. He wanted to talk with her, but he was stuck sitting across the room. One boy actually muttered "traitor" loud enough for even Bobby to hear when he walked past her at the end of class.

When they arrived at the lab for chemistry class, where the revolution started last year, Bobby saw that nobody was sitting at the table with Kara, so he asked if he could sit with her. Kara smiled enthusiastically and replied "yes" quickly, as if she was afraid he wouldn't ask, and despite whatever cachet Kara was losing today, Bobby felt really lucky.

Then, unexpectedly, the principal entered the lab and told everyone that the chemistry teacher called in sick, and there were no more subs, so there would be no class today.

A few people laughed. Since Leesburg High had the briefest holiday break of any school around, many students had taken bets earlier about which teachers would not show up. The teachers were no better than the students, and every year the laziest of them would try to squeeze one more day out of the holiday break.

Many students snagged their belongings and hurried out the door without delay, but Kara didn't move a muscle.

"Don't you want to leave?" Bobby asked as he stood up to leave himself, but then he sat right back down when he saw the disappointment on Kara's face.

"Where would we go?" Kara countered.

All Bobby heard for a moment was that she used the word "we", but then he said, "I don't know. We aren't allowed to wander the halls. Maybe the library?"

Kara sighed then shook her head.

Bobby tried to contain his enthusiasm because, if he was hearing right, she seemed to want to spend the next 50 minutes in the lab. With him. He was actually excited to be with her, even in her misery, and he wondered if that was the wrong thing to feel.

Kara reached into her purse and pulled out a fancy telephone and started pressing buttons, but she was quickly frustrated and complained, "I don't know how to get this stupid thing to work. I just want to text my sister and tell her what happened."

"I don't think you are allowed to text people during class time," Bobby said, sounding more critical than he intended.

Kara shook the phone and appeared ready to hurl the phone across the room, but pulled back just in time. "I'm so sick of people telling me what I can't do! What to say! What not to say! Now everyone hates me again! I-I..." she spat out, then immediately she started apologizing and put her head on the table, looking away, hiding her face.

Bobby sat still for a moment, unsure of what to do at a moment like this, and finally, he asked, "Can I see your phone? It looks like my mom's... maybe I can figure it out."

Kara held the phone out to him without raising her head from the table.

Bobby looked at the phone for about five seconds, then he handed it back to Kara with Alex's name in the corner and the cursor waiting for Kara's message.

Kara lifted her head, wiped away a few frustrated tears, then forced a smile. "How did you do that?"

Bobby showed her step by step.

Kara leaned into him to see better. She was seemingly oblivious to the effect she had on him.

"You can do a lot of cool stuff with this phone," he said, imbued with a rare sense of confidence, and he was eager to keep her leaning into him. "You can get on the web," he said, then he logged onto his Facebook wall, where he had a picture of a cat LOLing, which made Kara laugh. He showed her how to play Tetris, and then he took a picture of Kara, who playfully stuck out her tongue.

And after he got her good and happy, Bobby cleared his throat, finally responding to what Kara had worried about earlier. "And people don't hate you. Never think that. They just know who they saw earlier wasn't you. THIS is you, right here. What they love about you… what I love about you is that you insisted on being yourself no matter what people thought of you. You know, how you'd laugh in the middle of class when nobody else knew the joke, how you'd kiss your sister in front of everyone, or how you'd show off when you knew an answer in class."

"Or show off on that seat over there?" Kara pointed across the room and flashed a teasing smile.

Bobby laughed uncomfortably. "Yeah, that too."

Kara frowned nervously. "Is that why you like me?"

Bobby shook his head. "I like you because you are the nicest girl in school."

"But you'd like me better if I was still like that?" Kara asked with more worry than curiosity.

Bobby hesitated. His reputation had become so shallow, he almost believed it himself, and he had to remind himself that it wasn't true. "I'd like you more if you would just be yourself."

"Can't I be myself in these clothes?" Kara asked, tapping the thick fabric of her skirt once, as though she didn't even want to touch it.

"Can you?" Bobby turned the question back to her. "I don't think so. It's not the clothes. It's the fact that you look so uncomfortable in them. Why are you wearing them? Did the school threaten you if you didn't dress like this?"

Kara bit her lip and tried to change the subject. "What about you? Do your clothes make you feel more like you? What does this t-shirt say about you?"

Bobby pointed at the peace sign on his 100% rebellious tie-dyed shirt and said, "My parents were like hippies in the eighties, so I guess that rubbed off on me a little."

"And the socks?" She pointed at a tiny sliver of daylight between the hem of his pants and his shoes, where she shouldn't be able to see anything.

"OK, so I'm a Star Wars fan, so sue me!" Bobby said, smiling and trying to figure out what part of the loud socks she might have seen, and then he added with mock indignation: "And I'll have you know there are no rules against crazy looking socks."

"I've never heard you talk like this before," Kara said, laughing. "You sound so ...wise."

Bobby blushed, but it was true. She had somehow put him at ease, so he stopped putting his foot in his mouth.

Then she looked at him like she had never looked at him before, with a kind of longing that made him nervous, until he realized that Kara wanted his permission, as if his opinion really mattered: "So … do you think I should wear something different?"

"You should wear whatever makes you happy," Bobby replied without hesitation. "If this makes you happy, then you should wear this."

Kara shook her head. She stood up, kissed him quickly on the forehead, then said, "I'll be right back."

She was at the door before Bobby could even stand up.

"So … I'll wait for you here?" Bobby asked, then changed the question to a statement and sat back down. "I'll wait here."

He tapped his fingers against the table and wondered when did he get smart enough to give anyone advice. He wasn't smart, he reminded himself, which started the typical downward spiral he was prone to. He went over every word he had told Kara, convincing himself that every word was the stupidest thing in the world to say. Maybe she had walked away so she could be with her real friends and laugh at what a fool he was for caring about her. Yeah, those were the kinds of thoughts that had paralyzed him throughout his life.

But when Kara returned five minutes later, Bobby couldn't decide what was more surprising: Her hair was puffed up like she went crazy with a hair dryer and stepped into an 80's movie. She replaced the long plaid skirt with a cute blue mini. The leggings were gone, so her legs glowed from the hem of her miniskirt to the classic converse sneakers on her feet. But the thing that really stood out was the white t-shirt with the large red Superman symbol spread across her chest.

She struck a pose with both hands on her hips, elbows out and a big smile on her face.

"What do you think?" She asked.

"You look … beautiful," Bobby said, and the clothing did look great on her, but it was her smile that really stood out. "You have a thing for the flying guy, huh? Of course, who doesn't?"

"This symbol means a lot to me," Kara said, pointing at her chest. "It's like what your t-shirt means to you. It's part of me."

Bobby nodded, not entirely tracking, but he felt happy just seeing her happy. "How did you change so fast?" he asked with a curious smile, but then his confusion deepened when he looked at her tiny purse. "And where did you get these clothes from… And where did your old clothes go?"

Kara bit her lip, then smiled again. "I don't want to lie to you," she answered, then she took his hand and pulled him towards the door like she was stepping on air. "Come on, I saw some people from our class in the cafeteria. Maybe they are giving out food early today."

Kara's skirt was bouncing around from her sudden movements, and Bobby's imagination went wild.

It's none of my business, Bobby thought. He felt embarrassed, but he asked it anyway: "Are you, uh… wearing any panties."

"Officially, yes," Kara replied with a smile, then she glanced at Bobby's crotch and asked. "Are you wearing boxers or briefs?"

Bobby blushed. "Officially, one of those things."

The cafeteria personnel refused to start serving food before the period ended, despite a growing number of refugees from barren classrooms, so Kara and Bobby searched for the best table they could find, imagining that if they could stake a table out now, they could keep it right up until summer break. It didn't hurt that their idea of a good table was one in the corner, where nobody else really wanted to sit.

They sat alone like a king and queen for several minutes before the bell rang and other students started filtering it.

The cafeteria started serving food.

"Are you hungry?" Bobby asked.

"Starving!" Kara said, and Bobby could see in her face that she wasn't exaggerating. "But I don't want to lose our seats."

Bobby smiled at the ridiculous worry, but he would not complain. Of course, he realized that he would never be anything more than Kara's friend, but he never felt so privileged than he felt sitting there, alone with her. The whole school started trickling in through the doors, and as they did, everyone got a second look at Kara, the REAL Kara, not that imposter that had emerged from the bus.

Eric and Cookie were at the front of the mob that poured into the cafeteria after the bell signaled the start of lunch, and many eyes were instantly fixated on them in confusion. Bobby's eyes were among the confused.

"I never thought I'd see those two people together," Bobby said with barely hidden disapproval.

"She has changed," Kara insisted firmly. "And they are in love."

Bobby could tell that he shouldn't challenge what Kara was saying, so he said, "Then I hope they are happy forever."

"That would be best for everyone, believe me," Kara said, smiling, but then a dark cloud covered her face. "It would be a very sad day if they broke up, you have no idea."

Bobby stared at her curiously.

But Kara's face totally lit up when she saw Lena walk through the door. Bobby didn't recognize Lena at first, because she had dyed her hair black with grey streaks. She wore a bright red tank top with scandalous yoga pants and was clearly on board with the rebellion.

Kara waved to her friend, who immediately rushed over to the table with a smile even bigger than Kara's. Kara jumped from her seat to greet her.

Lena stared at Kara from head to toe. She placed a hand in the middle of Kara's chest, over the "S". "Your mom is gonna be pissed," Lena said with a voice full of admiration, then she hugged Kara is if in congratulations.

While they hugged, Lena glanced down at Bobby with knowing eyes and whispered, "Thank you."

Bobby shrugged, wondering what she could possibly be thanking him for.

Next up was Cindy, the girl that had publicly challenged Bobby to forgo his underwear, so while her visible attire appeared according to code, everybody knew what was missing.

Cindy's smile was crooked as she spoke to Kara. "People said they had gotten to you."

Kara gestured to Bobby. "He reminded me who I am."

Now Cindy's smile brightened, and she said, "I have to tell the others." She hurried towards Kim and Emily, who were holding her place in line for food.

Finally, Alex walked through the door, looking hot in her black blouse and slacks, but totally within dress code. The look in her eyes made Kara stiffen, but Kara approached her, anyway. They met in the middle of the cafeteria, and a hush filled the room. Alex's expression was severe. Tears formed in her eyes as she took her sister in and shook her head. "You are living so dangerously."

Then, unexpectedly, she threw her arms around Kara and hugged her tightly. "If this is what you want," she said, nodding her head, "if this is who you are, then OK."

Alex threw caution to the wind, turning the hug into a kiss that was not at all appropriate for the front of the cafeteria, drawing scattered applause from the captive audience.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

The adventure continues in the sequel/crossover: **Life is Strange at Leesburg High**


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